Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 8.20.14

6 | AUGUST 20, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Fire Season Delivers Two Large Fires to Northwest Montana
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Despite Seepay, Thompson Falls fires in nearby mountains, quiet fire season for Montana
By BEACON STAFF
Though Montana has largely avoided the wrath of wildfires this summer, two large blazes continue to grow in this cor- ner of the state.
The Seepay Fire, burning rough- ly 20 miles west of Dixon in the Seepay- Magpie Roadless Area, grew to 1,050 acres last weekend, according to fire managers. More than 200 personnel are battling the fire, including four helicopters.
A cold front moving down from Canada was expected to arrive Aug. 19, bringing increased winds but sharply cooler temperatures. Fire behavior has re- mained active with single-tree torching in heavy fuels, and managers with the Type 3 Incident Management Team in charge of the fire said the goal is to contain the fire within the roadless area by enhancing ex- isting fire lines and removing hazardous fuel ahead of the fire.
One injury was reported after a fire- fighter slipped on a rock last week and hy- perextended their knee. The individual was expected to make a full recovery, ac- cording to fire managers.
The following roads are closed due to fire activity: Seepay Creek Road from Highway 200 up is closed. Revais, Magpie, and Vanderberg creek roads are closed from the top over into Seepay. The public can still drive up to top of Revais, Magpie, and Vanderberg. Roads at the top are closed and barricaded.
The largest fire in the state, the Thompson River Complex, has reached 1,646 acres. The complex is comprised of four fires — the Koo Koo Sint, Spruce, Marmot and Sleepy Gulch — that are burning a few miles east of Thompson Falls. The fires continue to burn in steep,
A view of the Seepay Fire near Dixon. COURTESY OF INCIWEB rocky terrain that is hampering suppres-
sion efforts, according to fire managers. Nearly half of the complex’s terrain
was contained by Aug. 18.
Motorists are urged to not stop along
Highway 200 and to use caution while traveling between Thompson Falls and Plains, due to potential for rolling rock and debris.
Officials say the number of wildfires in Montana this year is about average, but the number of acres burned is well below the norm.
Harold Gemmell with the Northern Rockies Coordination Center told the
governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee last week that the 19,400 acres burned so far is 20 percent of the annual average.
More than $5 million of $6.6 million total spent on firefighting has gone toward the Thompson River Complex, which started Aug. 3.
The season started slowly due to a cool and wet spring.
Even with low precipitation in July, Gemmell predicts the remainder of the fire season will be pretty much normal
20% O
with some “gearing back” in September.
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