Flathead County to Lift Evacuation Order for Displaced Residents in Good Creek and Alder Creek
The Skillet Fire's incident command team reports the flames are 6% contained, with progress continuing on fire containment lines
By Zoë Buhrmaster
Firefighters are making progress on northwest Montana’s Skillet Fire, which was 6% contained as of Friday morning, according to the fire’s incident command team Great Basin Team 7. The fire’s perimeter has expanded to 3,089 acres, and the number of personnel fighting the flames has increased to 517 crew members.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office also announced it will be downgrading the evacuation order for the Good Creek and Alder Creek area to an evacuation warning at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon. At that time, residents who have been displaced since the Aug. 1 order went into effect can return to their homes. A security checkpoint will ensure only residents and property owners return to their homes, as the area remains closed to the general public to maintain public safety and support the ongoing firefighting operations.
Crews built a fireline from Robertson Creek to Alder Creek on the fire’s south side on Thursday, and toward the East Fork Fire scar to the north. They also completed a hose lay – extending a hose from a water source to the fire – from Good Creek Road toward Alder Creek and around the fire’s northeast corner. Air operations supported ground crews along the southeastern line. Firefighters did not complete a burn planned for the northwest edge due to weather conditions, Operations Section Chief Ryan Jones said.
“We did have some increased fire activity yesterday so our progress was a little slow, and we’re confident that we’re going to continue to progress toward each other from the south and the north,” Jones said.
Firefighters will work to improve the containment line on the southeast perimeter Friday with dozer and handline. Crews are also continuing construction of the fireline on the northwest edge and from Alder Creek to Martin Creek, along with hose lays around the southwest corner of the fire toward Alder Creek. Jones said they anticipate a little more containment Friday as crews continue to build out the fireline around Robertson Creek.
“Progress is good with our folks in there and they’re working really hard with the conditions that we have,” Jones said.
Weather conditions in the region will continue to be hot, dry, and breezy. Spotting and fire activity on southern-facing slopes could increase due to the heightened fire conditions, as the fire continues to spot out ahead, creating small fires outside of the fire’s perimeter.
Additional information about smoke and air quality can be found on the Skillet Fire’s InciWeb page. In addition to local fires, the majority of smoke in Montana continues to come from massive wildfires burning in Washington and Oregon. As of Friday morning. the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Flathead Valley is 159 according to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which is rated as unhealthy for all. Air quality is regularly monitored on the DEQ’s website Today’s Air.
Closure orders for the Flathead and Kootenai National Forests remain in effect for the time being, including roads, trailheads, trails, day-use areas, and campgrounds in the area.
The Flathead Office of Emergency Services notes residents and property owners of the Good Creek/Alder Creek area returning to their homes Friday afternoon are also restricted from traveling into closed Forest Service areas and must remain on their property. County officials warn residents to expect a high volume of firefighting personnel, heavy equipment, and other support vehicles in the area, recommending they use caution and expect delays, yielding to emergency vehicles and crews.
Flathead County residents can sign up for emergency alerts at https://flatheadcounty.genasys.com/portal/en. For questions about the evacuation change, property owners can call the sheriff’s information line at 406-758-2111.
