Wind Riles Montana Fires, Yellowstone Fire Closes East Park Entrance

By Jonathan Weber, 8-12-07

Updated Sunday at 8:25 MDT Montana fires acted up again Sunday after a relatively quiet weekend. While some evacuations had been lifted on the Jocko Lakes fire near Seeley and the Chippy Creek near Thompson Falls, by Sunday evening, evacuation orders had been issued in some areas on the Jocko Lakes fire and the now 12,000-acre Columbine fire in Yellowstone National Park had forced the closure of the eastern entrance to the park.

Red flag conditions were working their way through Montana and Idaho again Sunday afternoon and evening, bringing high winds and low humidity.

The Columbine fire, which started Thursday by a lightning strike, had grown 9,000 acres from Sunday afternoon’s estimate to 12,000 acres. Park rangers closed the road at the East Entrance station and the Pelican Creek barricade near Fishing Bridge at about 4:15 Sunday afternoon and flames were visible from the road, according to reports.

Several new starts of concern Sunday were the Wicked Creek Fire, 27 miles south of Livingston, and the Wolf Creek Fire southeast of Miles City in Eastern Montana. The Wicked Creek fire was burning 12 miles up the Mill Creek basin on the east side of Paradise Valley, and about 25 structures have been evactuated. It’s currently at more than 500 acres, up from 125 on Friday, and firefighters are expecting “another big push today,” a Gallatin National Forest spokesperson said Sunday. A type III crew with one chopper and one air tanker are working the blaze. It’s the first big fire of the season on a forest that was ravanaged last year, and growth potential is considered moderate to high.

The Wolf Creek fire waqs at 8,500 acres Sunday morning, buring in timber and grass, and was 25% contained.

Jocko Lakes Fire, West of Seeley Lake

After a quiet Saturday, the Jocko Lakes Fire flared up Sunday, forcing re-evacuations Sunday as the fire’s unruly east side—the side closest to the some 1,500 threatened structures—flared up in strong winds.

Some evacuations on the fire were lifted earlier in the week, but on Sunday, they were ordered again in the following areas: Boy Scout Road from Highway 83 to the bridge; Riverview from Highway 83 to the bridge; The two subdivisions adjacent to Riverview Bridge; Daisy; Wagonwheel and Overland.

Fire information officer Jennifer Yuhas said Sunday’s conditions were nearly identical to last Saturday’s, when the fire blew up and forced the initial wave of 675 evacuations. Winds reached up to 30 mph Sunday, Yuhas said, with most of the activity on the fire’s east flank, along the west shore of Seeley Lake. Yuhas said the fire did not jump contingency lines.

The fire is now 20,800 acres, up from 19,540 Sunday morning. But, it is also up to 16 percent contained, as opposed to 11 percent earlier Sunday.

The fire, which ignited last Friday, August 3, is threatening some 1,500 structures.

The fire is again listed as the nation’s top priority wildfire. For a few days this week it was trumped by the Tin Cup Fire near Darby. On Wednesday, a Type 1 incident management team from Alaska took over command. So far, about $3.8 million has been spent fighting the fire.

Click here for more. 

Tin Cup Fire, West of Darby

The Tin Cup Fire west of Darby was called 100 percent contained Sunday and the management team issued its final update, saying fire crews would start patrolling the area and continue to mop up hot spots within 300 feet of the fire perimeter. Fire suppression rehabilitation is also underway. “Demobilization of resources has begun as the fire growth potential is low,” the update reported. Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday for about 37 homes that had been affected. The fire is at 608 acres, and despite initial alarm about the blaze - it was the nation’s number one priority late last week - it was contained quickly with no structures lost. Call 406-375-6650 for more information. The fire burned 608 acres.

Chippy Creek Fire, North of Thompson Falls

The Chippy Creek Fire, 42 miles southwest of Kalispell, grew by almost 4,000 acres Saturday to about 63,000 acres, but containment is up to 25%.  A Northern Rockies Type 1 team will take over the fire MOnday, replacing the Arizona-based Type II team that had been managing the incident. Evacuation orders have been lifted for everyone except residents of the Hubbard Dam subdivision, where there are about 25 structures.

Elsewhere in Western Montana: 

• The Sawmill Complex, a complex of three fires near Rock Creek and 22 miles southeast of Missoula, was up to 22,850 acres Sunday morning, adding about 1,860 acres and remaining at five percent containment. The fire has been active with flame lengths of up to 200 feet on the northeast edge, while some evacuations were lifted last week for the Williams Gulch and Wild Rose Loop subdivisions, all other evacuations and road closures remain in effect.

  Rock Creek Road beginning at the intersection of I-90, south to the intersection with state road 348, remains closed. Only residents and area landowners are allowed access beyond the control points. Stony Creek Rd. is also closed.

• The Rombo Fire, on the Bitterroot National Forest, grew Sunday by 1,000 acres and is up to 4,750 acres, with zero percent contained.

• Several new starts were reported on the Bitterroot National Forest. 30 firefighters were sent to the Lost Trail Pass, which was at 5 acres Sunday morning. An initial attack team succeeded in snuffing the Canyon fire, which was started Wednesay by lightening.

  For more on the Rombo, Tin Cup and all of the Bitterroot blazes go here: http://63.196.254.151/WildWeb/WCMT-BRC.htm. Click “recent incidents.”

• The Conger Creek Fire, Lolo National Forest, 20 miles north of Ovando along Highway 200. 7,750 acres at zero percent contained, being managed as a Wildand Fire Use fire and monitored, not actively suppressed.  (Click here to learn more about Wildand Fire Use.)

Northwestern Montana: 

• The Garceau Fire, 10 miles from Polson on the Flathead Indian Reservation, has burned a total of 3,045 acres is 97 percent contained.

• The Skyland Fire in the Flathead National Forest totals 39,820 acres at 36 percent contained. It’s 45 miles east of Whitefish.

• The Brush Creek Fire, about 29 miles west of Whitefish, MT, is up to 24,670 acres, gaining about 370 acres Sunday, and is up to 43 percent contained with a target containment date set for August 30. There is direct and indirect line all the way around the fire, but crews still need to burn and blacken the line to secure it. The mandatory evacuation order for the community of Star Meadow remains in effect. The Good Creek Community has been put on warning to be ready should it need to evacuate.

Southwestern Montana: 

• The Pattengail Creek Fire, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 10 miles northeast of Wisdom. 5,000 acres at 20 percent contained. Because this fire is not advancing as rapidly as other fires in the region, it is considered to be a lower priority.

Central Montana: 

• The Ahorn Fire burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Lewis and Clark National Forest 30 miles west of Augusta has been quieted lately by higher relative humidity. Precipitation occurred over the fire area Friday and there’s been no sustained fire activity. The fire is 44,150 acres at five percent contained. Click here for a recent map of the fire.

• Crews have a good handle on the Meriwether Fire, burning in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness north of Helena near Wolf Creek. The fire is up to 41,396 acres and is 70 percent contained.

• The Fool Creek Fire, in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, in Bob Marshall Wilderness, 32,365 acres, 30 miles Northwest of Choteau. The fire is 0 percent contained but showed no growth Saturday; and a containment target has been set for Oct. 31.

For the latest fire information, visit NewWest.Net/Fire

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. (InciWeb has been slammed lately and it’s often inaccessible.)

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 across western and west-central Montana. Click here for more details.