fbpx

Fire Prompts Closures in Flathead National Forest

Fire danger elevated to “very high” but wet weather is around the corner

By Justin Franz
Snow Creek Fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. USFS Photo.

THE LATEST

—Snow Creek Fire grows to more than 1,000 acres

Fire danger “Very High” in Northwest Montana

Wet weather system this weekend could bring flash flooding 

Updated: 1 p.m., Aug. 7

A fire deep in the Flathead National Forest doubled in size on Tuesday, prompting a number of trail and area closures.

The Snow Creek Fire has burned more than 1,000 acres in the Bob Marshall Wilderness about 19 miles northeast of Condon. The fire is burning to the south and east in an area along the South Fork of the Flathead River that previously burned in 2000.

The following trails have been closed as a result of the fire: Hungry Creek, Helen Creek, Black Bear Creek, Rambler Creek, Mud Lake Lookout, Hodag Ridge Trail and Upper Mid Creek Trail, along with portions of the West Side, East Side, Picture Ridge and Little Salmon trails.

A total of 25 firefighters have been assigned to the fire to protect a number of Forest Service cabins and other infrastructure.

The fire danger in Northwest Montana has been elevated to “very high.”

Hot and dry conditions are expected to persist through the week before an unusually wet and warm weather system arrives on Friday. The National Weather Service in Missoula warned that heavy rainfall was likely across western Montana and there was even a threat of flash flooding.

This story will be updated with additional information when it becomes available.