Resources stepped up for Eureka area fire

Management of the nearly 6,000-acre Gibralter Ridge Fire east of Eureka today will transition from a Type III Incident Team to a Type II Team to increase resources as Northwest Montana remains on high fire alert.

A red-flag warning remains in effect for the Flathead Valley and surrounding regions until 9 p.m. tonight.

Dry, hot weather with temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s in the forecast, along with lightning strikes on Wednesday and gusty winds expected today present potential for new spot fires and growth of existing fires over the next week.

According to Flathead County Fire Manager Lincoln Chute, it will take more than sporadic rain bursts to end the dry, hazardous conditions.

“A thunderstorm helps for a couple hours, but that’s it,” he said.

He added that it will take multiple days of deep, soaking rain to dampen the timber and brush that are fueling wildfires.

As in past years, he said he expects the much needed rains to arrive sometime between mid-September and mid-October.

Though Chute said Flathead County is “holding its own” as far as initial responses go, resources are wearing thin when it comes to sustained attacks. This is because the volunteer fire departments responsible for those initial responses are equipped and trained for four- to six-hour calls.

However, those firefighters have other jobs and other calls and are not prepared or equipped to spend days or weeks at a particular fire.

Chute estimated that, countywide, between 50 and 75 percent of this season’s fire have been human-caused. He said a local fire on Tuesday was caused by someone driving an all-terrain vehicle through tall grass. Luckily, he said, firefighters were able to respond and catch the fire while it was still small, but it was “something that didn’t need to happen.

“We’re so dry this year and fires can get big quickly,” Chute stressed. “We can’t do anything about the lightning, but if we can limit the human-caused fire that’s one less thing we have to worry about.”

So far, he said, Flathead County has been fortunate not to have had any of the major fires surrounding counties are experiencing.

“We’ve been extremely lucky,” he said. “The conditions are right [here] to have a fire that can get that big.”

In connection with the Gibralter Ridge Fire, evacuation warnings remain in effect for Sherman Creek, Griffith Creek, Therriault Pass Road and Stevens Creek.

Pre-evacuation warnings are in effect for Glen Lake and Sinclair Creek areas.

The Grave Creek Road and the Ten Lakes rest area beginning at the junction of Grave Creek and Foothills Road are closed to traffic.

On the other side of Eureka, the Caribou Fire has grown to 1,600 acres.

The fire is located in the upper regions of Caribou Creek and Robinson Mountain and extends a quarter mile into Canada.

A Type III Team continues to monitor the blaze in collaboration with Canadian officials, using natural and existing barriers such as rivers and roads to help control its spread.

Elsewhere in Western Montana, evacuation warnings remain in effect for residents near Seeley Lake along Montana 83 as the Rice Ridge Fire continues to spread.

Now at over 32,000 acres, the fire is under the management of about 600 personnel working around the clock to manage the fire. The percentage of containment fell from 22 percent on Tuesday to about 18 percent as of Wednesday.

Though no evacuation orders have been issued, residents in these areas should be prepared to evacuate immediately should conditions change in the future.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Aug. 31. The location has yet to be determined.

The Lolo Peak Fire outside Missoula has reached nearly 39,000 acres and remains at 31 percent containment.

Evacuation warnings remain in effect from the Bear Creek area on Montana 12 east to Lolo and south to the Bass Creek Road on U.S. 93.

Though no evacuation order has been issued, the Missoula and Ravalli county sheriff’s offices advise citizens to remain aware of their surroundings and their status as conditions can change.

The Liberty Fire burning in the South Fork Primitive Area 17 miles southeast of Arlee is now at 20 percent containment. The 14,000-acre fire remains under the management of about 400 personnel but continues to back into the Gold Creek drainage.

Deer Lodge, Flathead, Granite, Jefferson, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Mineral, Powell, and Ravalli counties remain under an air-quality alert in effect until 9 a.m.

Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park and Seeley Lake are “hazardous.”

Missoula, Eureka, Lolo and Lincoln are “very unhealthy.”

Flathead Valley is “moderate.”

For more information visit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality at www.todaysair.mt.gov.

Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in place across the Flathead Valley and most of Northwest Montana.

Under those restrictions, campfires, burn piles and fireworks are strictly prohibited and motorists are not allowed to drive off-road.

The use of explosives, welding or open flame equipment and any internal combustion engines is prohibited between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m.

For up to date fire information, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.