Alder Creek & Trail Creek Fires Both At 10% Containment

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: 337

Alder Creek Fire: Crews and heavy equipment completed dozer line toward the Big Hole River, backhauled excess equipment, continued preparation work along Highway 73 and scouted areas to consider for aerial ignitions if needed. Fire potential remains a concern, sustaining the need for firefighters to identify areas to burn in sections using roads and natural features such as the river corridor.

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: Firefighters will continue to scout options for line placement utilizing the Big Hole River corridor as a natural break. Fire resources will work mitigating hazard trees along highway 73 down to the 186 road.

Trail Creek

Size: 35,881 Acres

Containment: 10%

Location: 20 miles west of Wisdom, MT

Start Date: July 8, 2021

Cause: Lightning

Total personnel: 136

Trail Creek Fire: Fire personnel continue preparation work along the Gibbonsville Road corridor and Lost Trail area with fallers, crews and heavy equipment. Prep work continues between Gibbonsville and the fire edge, also known as the switchbacks. The structure group will improve structure preparation, test sprinkler systems as needed, and patrol the area. The primary effort of resources on the trail creek incident is constructing fire line using heavy equipment on identified ridge systems west of the fires edge on the Idaho side, near 3-mile creek and adjacent ridges to reduce/prevent the need to use Hwy 93 as the primary control feature.

Black Mountain

Size: 1,042 Acres

Containment: 0%

Location: 13 miles south of Jackson, MT

Start Date: July 17, 2021

Cause: Lightning

Total personnel: 73

Black Mountain Fire: Direct suppression actions along the fire’s edge will continue and help to reduce exposure to firefighters, resource commitment over time as well as, and reduce overall fire growth. Crews and Incident Management Team supervisors continually discuss actions in depth to ensure the accepted risk of placing crews in areas with limited access areas and hazardous trees, remains reasonable. Lookouts will be posted to observe fire behavior and monitor fire weather. Crew capabilities will match the mission, and medical resources for extraction in the event of an injury will remain in place. Engines and heavy equipment will continue to prepare indirect fire line along Snowshoe Hare Road and Forest Road 7335.

Fire Weather Watch out Today: A Red Flag warning for possible dry lightning, high winds, and low relative humidity. Today’s temperatures will be in the 80 degrees, minimum relative humidity 16 percent southwest winds at 22mph with gusts to 40 mph. Isolated dry thunderstorms remain possible during the afternoon and evening 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.

Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices

Salmon-Challis NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices

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/firerestrictions-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.