red flag warning in effect

Bob Marshall Wilderness Fire at 2,000 Acres and Growing

By Jessica Mayrer, 7-06-07

A 2,000-acre lightening fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, near Choteau, is prompting the Forest Service to reroute hikers and campers on the well-traveled Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. 

A red flag warning has been issued for the area surrounding the fire, named the Fool Creek fire, in the northern part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Near the North Fork Sun River Drainage, it’s expected to grow with high temperatures and gusty winds in the forecast.

Thursday, the fire jumped from 50 acres to about 2,000 in the matter of less than nine hours.

“We are expecting it to probably burn quite a bit today,” Wendy Maples, Forest Service information officer, said Friday

As of now, no structures are threatened and because of difficult terrain, no crews have been called in to fight the fire, Maples said.

“It’s simply not an option to put firefighters on the ground,” Maples said.

Arial drops too at this point are not an option, but the Forest Service is working on plans to manage the fire, should it become necessary, Maples said.

In addition to the Continental Divide Trail, portions of 12 other trails in the northern part of the Lewis and Clark National Forest and also the southern part of the Flathead National Forest are closed, Maples said.

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