Happy fire season, Beacon readers! Maggie Dresser here with the current smoke show report as we close out July and enter Angry August, with a fire weather watch set to take effect on Saturday. Forecasts of high temperatures in the mid-90s and wind gusts up to 45 mph in the Flathead Valley set the stage for elevated fire danger. Even as our neighbors to the west in Oregon, Washington and Idaho continue sharing their smoke with us, we now have our own wildfires amid hot, dry and breezy conditions, including two notable fires on the Flathead National Forest that blew up in the last week.
Fire season always sends me on a trip down memory lane to a time when I lived in Missoula in a house full of wildland firefighters who spoke of nothing but chainsaws, fire camp, R&R, nicotine and the relationships that suffered during their extended summer absences. I eventually learned to comprehend some of the fire jargon I was constantly subjected to, but I never became fluent. Little did I know at the time that it would be a useful skill in my future journalism career as I continue to decode agency parlance.
Last night, a Type 3 incident management team with a heavy equipment task force was ordered to respond to the Skillet Fire (pictured below) located approximately 3 miles northwest of the Good Creek community in the Tally Lake Ranger District. The new fire start that was reported yesterday at 4:30 p.m. has since grown to 800 acres, expanding approximately 650 acres in size after a “very active” night, according to Flathead National Forest officials. The fire is actively and aggressively burning in heavy, dead and down trees and thick timber as firefighters observe group tree torching and spotting.
Growing to the east, the blaze is threatening primary residences and structures as firefighters evaluate fire engagement and work with heavy equipment to prepare roads to be used as fire control lines. A Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) has been ordered to the fire to provide aerial support for ground resources.
Flathead and Kootenai national forest officials have closed the following roads:
Good Creek Road (60); Alder Creek Road (60C); Martin Creek Road (910); Plume Creek Road (2890); West Plume Road (2883); Keith Mountain Road (2875); Miller Creek Road (9650); West Advent Creek Road (3710); Alder Slope Road (3512); Twin Meadows Road (3520); Martin Divide Road (3708)
To the southeast in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Silvertip Fire as of yesterday was burning 4,136 acres after lighting ignited the blaze last Friday, prompting Flathead National Forest officials to implement multiple trail closures.
Fuels yesterday were burning on both sides of Silvertip Creek, with most growth occurring to the south towards Silvertip Mountain and spotting to the east toward Ibex Mountain.
The fire is located 15 miles southeast of Spotted Bear Ranger District and approximately 5 miles southwest of Pentagon Cabin in a high-risk and remote area, presenting challenging conditions for firefighters to successfully engage directly. Responders are applying an indirect confinement strategy and are working to provide point protection at Pentagon Cabin, which is the closest structure to the fire. No critical values or structures are threatened.
Sergeant Creek–Corporal Creek Trail (Trail 88)
Closed from Spotted Bear River to its junction with Trail 584 (Harrison Creek Trail).
Harrison Creek Trail (Trail 584)
Closed from its junction with Corporal Creek Trail 88 to its junction with Trail 103 and Trail89.
Trail 103
Closed from its junction with Trail 524 to its junction with Trails 89 and 584.
Silvertip Trail (Trail 89)
Closed in its entirety.
Spotted Bear River Trail (Trail 83)
Closed from its junction with Silvertip Trail 89 to its junction with Wall Creek Trail 90.
Wall Creek Trail (Trail 90)
Closed from its junction with Trail 83 to its junction with Trail 229.
West Fork Wall Creek Trail (Trail 229)
Closed in its entirety.
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