Meriwether Fire Triples in Size to 6,018 Acres

By Jessica Mayrer, 7-26-07

Update: 9:45 p.m. The Meriwether Fire in the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness surged Thursday nearly tripling in size, from 2,200 acres to 6,018. An evacuation order was issued for the residents of 60-plus homes along the Missouri River, the AP reports, on top of the 40-some asked to evacuate late Wednesday.

The Missouri River was closed from American Bar to Main Bar, and personnel at the Eldorado mine voluntarily evacuated Thursday, the fire camp reported.

Some residents of the American Bar subdivision, which was within 1 ½ miles of the blaze, refused to comply with the initial evacuation order early Thursday, though most eventually did, according to the AP.

The lightning-ignited fire, about 37 miles northwest of Helena, is burning in timber, grass and brush.

Meanwhile, firefighters are having success quieting Montana’s Ahorn Fire, the state’s largest of the season so far. The fire is nine percent contained.

The blaze has consumed 15,000 acres in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Lewis and Clark National Forest. It hasn’t spread significantly since Monday.

Among Thursday’s actions crews laid 3,000 feet of hose on the southern edge of the fire west of trail 276, and they continued to build indirect fire line on the east side of the fire in the Ford Creek north toward Gibson Reservoir, using 7,000 feet of fire line explosives in the process.

Thursday a trace of rain fell in the Pretty Prairie Cabin area to the north.

Click here to view a map of the fire.

There are currently 15 large fires (more than 90 acres) burning in Montana and numerous small fires popping up across the state. Here is a region-by-region breakdown of the fire activity in Montana.

Also, check in often to InciWeb, where the large fires are being updated from fire camp regularly. The large fires with InciWeb pages are linked in the roundup below. Click on the name of the fire for that fire’s page.

For a look at fire weather forecasts, click here and for a national breakdown of wildland fires, click here.

Stage II fire restrictions, meaning no campfires, smoking, daytime industrial operations and motor vehicle use off designated roads and trails, are in effect Monday across western and west-central Montana. Click here for more details.

Western Montana:

The lightning storm that passed over the south end of the Bitterroot National Forest Tuesday evening generated dozens of lightning strikes, but it also delivered at least a half-inch of rain along most of its path, according to Wednesday afternoon’s report.

So far patrollers have located one new start, the Saddle Gulch Fire, located five miles northwest of Nez Perce Pass on the West Fork Ranger District. Although this fire is located in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, due to its proximity to the Wilderness boundary and fuel and weather conditions, the decision has been made to suppress it.

The Bitterroot’s biggest fires are both wildland fire use fires—the Harrington Mountain Fire at 110 acres and the Harrington Ridge Fire at southwest of Darby. 

Including the Harrington Fires, there remain 11 fires in the Frank Church – River of No Return, Anaconda-Pintlar and Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Areas which are being managed as WFU fires and carefully monitored by air patrol.

For more on the Bitterroot blazes go to http://63.196.254.151/WildWeb/WCMT-BRC.htm and click “recent incidents.”

A storm came through the Lolo National Forest Monday night and lightning ignited two fires; both were less than one acre.  Fallen power lines also started two fires, one along the Ninemile Road and the other along I-90.

Fire managers detected 56 new fires over the last week across the Lolo National Forest.  All but six were lightning-caused and all were an acre or less.  Fire managers quickly deployed helicopters and initial attack crews to contain the new fires, and none of the new fires, as of Tuesday, threatened any structures.

Noteworthy Fires in Western Montana:

• The Conger Creek Fire, Lolo National Forest, 20 miles north of Ovando along Highway 200. 350 acres, being managed and monitored, not actively suppressed. The forecast suggests that a warmer and drier air mass will set in over the fire for the next three days and an increase in fire behavior is expected.
• The Sawmill Creek Fire, Lolo National Forest in Welcome Creek Wilderness along Rock Creek, 22 miles southeast of Missoula. 110 acres. Up to 100 homes in the Rock Creek Area could become threatened if the fire picks up, says fire information officer Nick Spang.
• The St. Regis Complex, in Western Montana’s Lolo National Forest. A total of 94 acres. “The St. Regis Complex is just about contained and fire managers predict that this fire will soon be under complete control, barring extreme fire weather, Wednesday’s report stated.

Northwestern Montana:

• The Railley Mountain Fire in the Flathead National Forest, 45 miles northeast of Missoula.  Active fire behavior has grown the blaze to 130 acres at zero percent contained.  Trail closures are in effect and structures are threatened.
• The Garceau Fire, 55 miles south of Whitefish spread to over 2,800 acres in a matter of 24 hours, prompting the brief evacuation of two homes. It was 50 precent contained Thursday morning.
• The Skyland Fire in the Flathead National Forest totals 420 acres, zero percent contained. This fire is 45 miles east of Whitefish. Active fire behavior was reported.

Southwestern Montana:

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has a temporary closure in effect, including the area north of Lacy and McVey creeks and west of the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway all the way to the forest boundary east and south of Highway 43. And Stage II fire restrictions go into effect Thursday.

Noteworthy Fires in Southwestern Montana:

• The Pattengail Creek Fire, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 10 miles northeast of Wisdom. 4,256 acres. Thursday morning it was 25 percent contained. No structures are considered threatened at this time and no evacuations have been ordered.
• The Owl Fire, burning along the Wyoming-Montana border in Yellowstone National Park, was 1,200 acres. “For the first time since the fire was discovered last Friday, firefighters on the Owl Fire woke up to cloudy skies and cooler temperatures,” Wednesday morning’s report stated. All visitor services, park entrances and roads are open. Some trails and backcountry campsites are temporarily closed.

Central Montana:

Tuesday the Meriwether Fire in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, 37 miles north of Helena, had grown to 6,018 acres by Thursday afternoon. About 100 residences have been evacuated in all.

An emergency closure is in place that encompasses the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area as well as Coulter Campground along the Missouri River. The closure does not include the Meriwether day use area at this time or the river-way. The campgrounds along Holter Reservoir (BLM) remain open.

Noteworthy Fires in Central Montana:

• The Little Wolf Creek Fire , is 46 miles west of Great Falls.  The blaze is 95 percent contained after burning 547 acres.
• The Bull Creek Fire , 10 miles south of Hayes has grown to 200 acres at 30 percent contained. Minimal fire activity was reported.
• Ahorn Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, 35 miles West of Augusta, near Benchmark. 15,000 acres. 9 percent contained. 65 summer cabins, dude ranches and bridges threatened.
• Rugby Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest 12 miles west of Neihart. Wednesday it was 130 acres, 75 percent contained.
• Novak Fire, 10 miles southwest of Cascade burning in timber, brush, and grass. 1,859 acres and 70 percent contained.
• Fool Creek Wildland Fire Use Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, in Bob Marshall Wilderness. 6,264 acres. This fire is being managed by a Wildland Fire Use team, meaning it is being managed for resource benefit, not actively suppressed. (Click here for more information on Wildand Fire Use teams.)
• Middle Fork Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, 20 miles southwest of Utica. 1,146 acres. This fire is also being managed as a Wildand Fire Use fire and is burning in a remote area. It was started on June 21 by a lightning strike.

Southeastern Montana:

• The Walk In Fire is a 370 acre fire, eight miles northwest of Ashland on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. It is 50 percent contained and burning in logging slash.