Alder Creek
Size: 11,437 Acres
Containment: 10%
Location: 7 miles west of Wise River, MT
Start Date: July 8, 2021
Cause: Unknown
Total personnel: 367
Alder Creek Fire: Crews continue to support structural protection and containment operations
with heavy equipment. Work is ongoing along Highway 43 as additional areas for aerial ignitions are identified and prepared ahead of potential strategic firing operations. Fire potential remains high due to aggressive smoldering and an abundance of available unburned fuels reinforcing the need to use firing operations to burn in the identified sections.
Trail Creek
Size: 35,881 Acres
Containment: 22%
Location: 20 miles west of Wisdom, MT
Start Date: July 8, 2021
Cause: Lightning
Total personnel: 137
Trail Creek Fire: Prep work continues along the fire edge in an area known as the switchbacks. Work also continues along the Gibbonsville Road corridor and Lost Trail area with fallers, crews and heavy equipment. The primary effort today on the trail creek incident is constructing fire line using heavy equipment on identified ridge systems west of the fires edge, near 3-mile creek and adjacent ridges to enable the utilization of Hwy 93 as an additional control feature if necessary.
Christensen
Size: 8,510 Acres
Containment: 0%
Location: 12 miles west of Wise River, MT
Start Date: July 16, 2021
Cause: Unknown
Total personnel: 18
Christensen Fire: Fire crews will continue line operations and structural protection to secure the perimeter along the Big Hole River corridor using it as a natural break to support strategic operations. Fire resources will work to mitigate hazards, such as snags near the road, identified along highway 43 down to the highway 278.
Black Mountain
Size: 1,042 Acres
Containment: 0%
Location: 13 miles south of Jackson, MT
Start Date: July 17, 2021
Cause: Lightning
Total personnel: 75
Black Mountain Fire: The Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) and assigned Engines were able to work the entire fire perimeter to reduce exposure to firefighters, resource commitment, and reduce overall fire growth and complexity. The area will continue to be patrolled and monitored for heat and any activity while engines and heavy equipment continue to prepare indirect line.
Fire Weather Watchout Today: Today’s temperatures will be in the 60’s possibly topping out at 70 in some areas. Relative Humidity will be at 40% percent with winds at 17 mph. Showers remain possible during the afternoon hours, which could produce strong outflow winds in the fire areas today.
Major Closures:
-Hwy 43 and Pioneer Byway remain open. Motorists are asked to slow down and be on the alert for firefighters, heavy smoke, and downed trees. Please check the Montana DOT Road Report website MDT.MT.gov/travinfomobile for current conditions.
-Continental Divide Trail: Closed from Lemhi Pass north to Mussigbrod Creek.
-Big Hole National Battlefield is closed until further notice. North and South VanHouten, Miner Lakes, Twin Lakes, May Creek and Divide Bridge Campgrounds are closed.
-Forest Closure orders are in effect for all three fires.
Smoke:
Montana air quality alert for Beaverhead County: http://todaysair.mt.gov
Idaho air pollution forecast for Lemhi County: https://airquality.deq.idaho.gov/home/map
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect for SW Montana: https://www.mtfireinfo.org
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect for Central ID: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/
Evacuations:
Beaverhead County Sheriff has Stage 1 Evacuation Orders in effect for Alder Creek Community and Highway 43 from Mile Marker 35 to the County Line at Mile Marker 41.5. This includes the residents on Doolittle Creek Road and North Doolittle Creek Road. . Stage 2 is in place for the southside of Hwy 43 from Alder Creek Road to Dickie Bridge, and the westside of Pioneer Scenic Byway from airport to Harriet Lou Road Beaverhead Sheriff.
Lemhi County Sheriff has contacted residences in threatened areas on the west side of the Trail Creek
Fire in Idaho and placed in “Set” evacuation status. Info: 208-756-8980.
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