Happy Wednesday, Beacon readers. If you’re looking for somewhere to point the finger for the rain we received this morning, feel free to point it in my direction (joking). I’m returning today from an elongated weekend in Fairbanks, Alaska, where sandhill cranes and Canada geese were just beginning their migratory journeys south as temperatures dropped to just above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rain brought fall’s first whisperings. I’ll admit it grew my existing excitement for autumn’s colors and cooler temperatures in the Flathead Valley, which my Alaska family reminded me is a blessing considering fall in Montana doesn’t come with the foreboding awareness that months of true darkness are around the corner. It’s all about perspective, I suppose.
Before I jump into the rest of today’s newsletter, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to toast to Dolly Parton. Parton, a big-haired, big-hearted feminine icon and musical legend, left the world shaken by news of her passing, and I’m still holding some of those feelings today. As a Parton family member put it in a social media post announcing her passing, she’s resting “on a bed of cotton, because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable.” We’ll always love you, Dolly.
With that, I’m back in the Lower 48 to give you an update on the Deer Creek Fire (pictured above) along the Flathead and Lincoln County line. Zoë Buhrmaster here. Let’s get into it.
The 984-acre fire is now 25 percent contained as of Tuesday, crews successfully corralling flames along the fire’s northern edge along the Pleasant Valley Fisher River. Crews continued improving firelines along the eastern edge and southeast corner, and additional resources arriving last night helped firefighters with a small burnout operation just north of the southeast corner. Crews conduct burnouts by safely igniting unburned fuel inside the fireline to help strengthen the fireline. An update from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) said the tactic was chosen as it was more efficient and safer for firefighters considering thunderstorm predictions.
Crews today are slated to complete Tuesday’s burnout north of the ridge in the southeast corner and complete another small burnout west of the ridge, should weather conditions permit. Crews continue to improve firelines via hand tools and bulldozers, and a skidgine – a logging skidder with a water tank – is helping crews extinguish hot spots. Water tenders and holding tanks continue to provide water for hose lays running along the fireline.
Partly cloudy skies are expected Wednesday, with a warning of potential thunderstorms this afternoon. The storms may bring occasional dry lightning, erratic winds, and zero chance of wetting rain. If the thunderstorms occur, the fire’s behavior may intensify.
There are no evacuation or closure orders at this time, but the DNRC asks that the public avoid the Pleasant Valley area to allow emergency access for responders and ensure firefighter and public safety.
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