Rocky Mountain Front Fires – Update 8-29-17 1:00pm
Three wildfires are now burning along the Rocky Mountain Front west of Pondera and Teton Counties. The following updates are from the U.S. Forest Service:
The Crucifixion Creek Fire is located in the Badger Two Medicine area on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District. The fire is in rough terrain of heavy timber and rocky, discontinuous vegetation. Fire management officials and the Incident Commander type 4 are managing the fire with a confine and contain strategy in place.
Trail closures are in place along the S. Fork of Badger trail from the junction with trail #144 south to the junction with trail #121, near Badger Pass, as well as trail #145 Elbow Creek and Trail #146 Blue Lake Spur (along the Crucifixion Creek drainage) that are closed in their entirety.
The IC and 3 fire personnel are working from the Badger Cabin Administrative site to monitor the remote fire. The fire has grown to approximately 650 acres. Prior large fire events from two years ago are present on the landscape east of the current fire activity. There is no immediate threat to any structures at this time.
The Dolly Varden Fire was reported at approximately 7:30pm on Tuesday, August 15th. The incident is located 5½ miles southeast of Schafer Meadows Work Center, above Dolly Varden Creek, in the Great Bear Wilderness on the Flathead National Forest. The fire is being managed for resource benefit including allowing the fire to play its natural ecological role, with consideration for public and fire fighter safety, point protection of historic resources and trail infrastructure. The fire is being managed by the Spotted Bear Ranger District.
The fire is currently 185 acres. Incremental growth due to creeping and backing downhill was observed below the trail. Additional closures on Dolly Varden and Argosy Trails are being evaluated. A Wildland Fire Module from New Mexico is currently working out of Schafer Meadows to monitor fire activity. Smoke is also visible from Spotted Bear Lookout.
The Scalp Fire was reported at approximately 7:00pm on Tuesday, August 15th. The incident is located 3 miles south of Gooseberry Cabin, on Bow Mountain, in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Flathead National Forest. The fire is being managed for resource benefit including allowing the fire to play its natural ecological role, with consideration for public and fire fighter safety as well as point protection of infrastructure. The fire is visible from both Spotted Bear and Beartop Lookouts. The fire is being managed by the Spotted Bear Ranger District.
The fire is currently 493 acres. The Scalp Fire was active again today. The fire was actively backing downhill and then flanking/running back to the west up the Basin Creek Drainage. The fire is still not established in the 2007 Fool Creek Fire perimeter. There remains the potential to have a down drainage push as the fire backs and rolls downhill. Very little activity on the north aspect of Bow Mountain.