Firefighter injured on Beeskove Fire
An emergency medical evacuation was requested for an injured firefighter on the Beeskove Fire near Missoula on Tuesday. The firefighter sustained a lower leg injury and was airlifted directly to St. Patrick’s Hospital for medical treatment, the Forest Service announced.
“Thanks to the support from multiple resources on the fire, the firefighter was airlifted off the mountain quickly and is currently in stable condition,” the press release stated.
The Beeskove Fire had grown Monday to about 211 acres. Containment of the lightning caused fire was still 0 percent, the agency said.
Some uphill runs and group tree torching were witnessed within the fire’s perimeter, the Forest Service said.
Firefighters were successful with establishing an indirect fire line from Rattlesnake Creek up to the southwestern corner of the fire.
This will allow firefighters to use hand firing operations with the supporting hose lay to create a barrier to fire spread in that area of the fire along Rattlesnake Creek, the agency said.
Opportunities to engage ground resources on the fire’s edge do not currently exist due to the steep, rugged terrain the fire is located in, the Forest Service said.
The agency said crews would start constructing an indirect fire line Tuesday from Rattlesnake Creek up to the ridgetop south and west of the fire. Helicopters are available to support fire crews to slow the fire’s growth.
More resources are arriving on the fire as the Type 3 team plans for how to engage the fire safely in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the lightning-caused Moss Ranch fire on the Flathead Reservation remained Tuesday at about 5,310 acres and about 60 percent contained.
The fire, burning in grass and timber in steep, rocky and rugged terrain, is about 14 miles southwest of Ronan.
The blaze began burning July 23.
There are 120 personnel assigned to the fire, which is not threatening structures or infrastructure.
On Tuesday, firefighters planned to focus again on securing all control lines 200 feet in from the perimeter, a mop-up operation expected to use engines, water tenders and hose lays, according to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Division of Fire Management.
Road closures include the Nenemay Road, FB-1000 and FB-4000.