Montana Fire Roundup

Fire Near Big Timber Races, Emerald Hills Fire Near Billings Calms

By Courtney Lowery, 8-24-06

The new fire south of Dillon near Interstate 15 that blew up Wednesday night was mapped at just more than 10,000 acres Thursday evening but crews had it 20 percent contained.

The Dillon Interagency Dispatch Center reports that several cabins and a home may have been in the fire area Wednesday, but there was no word on if any buildings had been destroyed. The Clark Canyon Fire is burning east of Clark Canyon Reservoir about 18 miles south of Dillon. 100 people are working on the fire with the help of two helicopters, a SEAT plane, 10 engines, and 5 dozers. Crews planned to work to get more secure line in on the fire's east and west flanks to keep it away from ranch buildings in the area.

Elsewhere, the Derby Mountain Fire south of Big Timber saw some major growth again Thursday, reportedly jumping from 3,000 acres to 12,000 acres in the afternoon. Morning reports from the Northern Rockies Coordination Center say 10-20 structures are immediately threatened while others are within a 1/4 mile of the fire's predicted path.

The Emerald Hills Fire burning near a subdivision of the same name six miles east of Billings -- the one that blew up Tuesday burning at least two homes and one outbuilding -- is at 3,800 acres (this is lower than earlier estimates -- fire experts say because of better mapping) and 85 percent contained today. The fire was reportedly active until the early morning hours as humidity levels stayed low through the night.

After a big day Tuesday, the Gash Creek Fire near Victor stayed quiet Wednesday and Thursday, growing only a few hundred acres Thursday to 8,000 acres. Crews have it back up to 60 percent contained after a slip down to 50 percent Tuesday. All fire lines near the about nine homes in the area are secure and holding. There are 363 people on the fire, including three Type I crews, four helicopters, eight engines, two dozers, one excavator and four water tenders. A Type II team is taking over the fire. The sections of the blaze burning into the wilderness will not be contained, so this fire might stay at 60-70 percent containment until the season ends.

Two other small fires are being mopped up in the Bitterroot. One, a 3-acre human-caused fire called the Lower Larry Fire, was being mopped up southwest of Florence and the other, the 14-acre Shining Mountain Fire (another human-caused from a few days ago) was contained Thursday near Sula.

On the Lolo National Forest, crews are still hopping on a bunch of new fires held over from last week's lightning storms. The forest reports "numerous" small fires (less than an acre) over the last week, but they have not spread.

The fire that started up O’Brien Creek Sunday west of Missoula, the Woodman Saddle Fire, has held at 12 or 13 acres. No structures are threatened and fire officials expect to call the blaze contained "soon."

Meanwhile, the Ulm Peak fire near the Idaho/Montana border has grown to nearly 1,100 acres.

The Sun Dog Fire 20 miles north of Columbia Falls on the Flathead National Forest is up to 430 acres but is on all forest land. The nearest private land or buildings are eight miles from the fire perimeter.

Here’s a roundup of the big fires in the region: (And, check www.inciweb.org for updates as well.)

WESTERN MONTANA FIRES:

Sun Dog (18 miles north of Columbia Falls on the Flathead National Forest)
• 430 acres
• 0% contained
• 201 personnel (A Type I Team took command of the fire Wednesday)
• The strategy is to keep the fire within National Forest boundaries. Fire officials say it started from a lightning holdover from a storm last week.

Ulm Peak Fire (12 miles southwest of Noxon, Mont., along the Idaho/Montana border)
• 1,090 acres
• 2% contained
• 152 personnel, one helicopter, one air attack team, two engines, one dozer and five water tenders.
•The Gem Peak lookout was evacuated Wednesday as the fire grew in high winds. Better weather is predicted for Thursday.

Sand Basin Fire (14 miles southwest of Phillipsburg)
• 700 acres
• 80% contained
• 235 personnel
• Demobilization scheduled to begin Sunday.

Holland Peak (Five miles east of Condon, Mont. on Flathead National Forest lands.)
• 180 acres
• 0% contained
• 25 personnel
• Some torching and creeping reported Thursday. Wteep, rugged terrain is making containment efforts difficult, crews continue to monitor the fire and will do bucket drops if helicopters are available.

Red Eagle Fire (eastern edge of Glacier National Park)
• 32,230 acres
• 90% contained
• 11 personnel
• Transition to a Unified Command structure between the Blackfeet Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service took place Sunday. No new reports are coming from fire camp as things wrap up there. It has cost $7.1 million to fight.

There are also more than 20 fires burning in the Bitterroot National Forest's portions of the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church Wilderness areas (13 on in the Selway as of Monday). Little growth has been reported and all are being managed for benefit to the forest. Click here for a full rundown.

SOUTHERN MONTANA AND YELLOWSTONE FIRES:

Derby Fire (15 miles south of Big Timber)
• 12,000 acres (some reports have it at 8,000 acres, but fire camp report an estimated 12,000)
• 0% contained
• 71 personnel
• This fire started on Tuesday and Wednesday, ran from 100 acres to 3,000. Closures in the area can be seen here.

Stinky Fire (11 miles southeast of the Lamar Ranger Station in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park)
• 998 acres
• 0% contained
• 3 personnel (This fire is on monitor status and is not being actively contained.)
• The fire made a 750-acre run Wednesday but is still in the park boundary. Fire officials are planning to use air support to keep the fire confined to the park backcountry.

Magpie Fire (7 miles east of Madison Junction, also in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park)
• 2,052 acres
• No containment percentage (This fire is also on monitor status and is not being actively contained.)
• 3 personnel

Two small human-caused fires were attacked and contained in Yellowstone National Park this week. The Pumice Fire near Pumice Point was contained Tuesday night at one acre and the Dryad Fire was contained at one-tenth of an acre.

Trisha Fire (20 miles southwest of Hardin, Mont.)
• 1,446 acres
• 100% contained
• 47 personnel
• Only smoldering reported Wednesday, mop up operations in place.

NORTHERN IDAHO FIRES:
Heaven's Gate Complex (10 miles west of Riggins, Idaho on the Nez Pearce National Forest)
• 5,837 acres
• 5% contained
• 13 personnel
• Four fires in this complex: Black Butte - 3500 acres in the Gospel Hump wilderness Green Acres - 2000 acres in the Nez Perce and Hells Canyon NationalRecreation Area Horse Heaven - 45 acres in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area McCrae Creek - 2 acres in the Nez Perce National Forest

Hughes 32 Complex (10 miles north of Nordman, Idaho, near the Canadian border)
• 544 acres
• 5% contained
• 90 personnel
• No major runs Thursday.

Clear Creek (Six miles southeast of Kooskia, Idaho)
• 300 acres
• 100% contained
• 35 personnel, 10 engines

In Missoula, much of the city’s open space and conservation lands remains closed to afternoon and evening use due to extreme fire danger. Mount Jumbo and the North Hills, along with City and Forest Service lands on Mount Sentinel, including the Crazy Canyon recreation area and the “M” Trail, are off limits between 1 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Stage II fire restrictions remain in effect for much of Western Montana. Stage II restrictions mean absolutely no campfires, no smoking except inside a building or vehicle and no off-road or off-trail motorized use. They also mean no welding, using a torch or explosives or running a chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine for felling, bucking, skidding, road building or woodcutting between the hours of 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

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