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  • wildfire Wildfire
  • prescribed fire Prescribed Fire
  • burned area emergency response Burned Area Response
  • other type Other

Bitterroot National Forest Prescribed Burn West Fork Ranger District

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Unit Information

Bitterroot National Forest 
1801 North 1st  
Hamilton, 
Montana 
59840 
Bitterroot National Forest 
1801 North 1st  
Hamilton, 
Montana 
59840 

Incident Contacts

Firefighters plan to continue prescribed burning operations April 25 and 26 on the West Fork Ranger District on the Piquett Ridge Project Area near Piquett Creek, 7 miles southwest of Conner.

The burn area will not be closed to the public, but caution should be used as there will be fire traffic activity from the bridge junction where FS road 5720 meets the main Piquett Creek road (FS #49). 

Firefighters are resuming operations from last week in the Piquett Ridge Project area since weather conditions are forecasted to be optimal for burning and smoke dispersion. 

There will be signage located along the West Fork Highway at three different points: One at Trapper Creek Job Corps Center, The mouth of Piquett Creek and one at the Applebury Fishing Access. 

Smoke may impact the southern Bitterroot Valley around the Highway 93 corridor between Darby and Conner, MT.

Fire managers will staff the burn, working to secure the fire perimeter until it is safe to monitor.  Moisture is forecasted in the days following ignition, which should contribute to secure the burn.

Basic Information
Current as of Thu, 04/24/2025 - 19:46
Incident Time Zone Mountain Standard Time
Incident Type Prescribed Fire
Date of Origin
Incident Time Zone Mountain Standard Time
Location West Fork Ranger District
Incident Commander West Fork Ranger Distict
Incident Description Up to 37 firefighters will conduct approximately 210 acres of understory burning - a type of burning that mimics fire's natural role in vegetation communities where fire is frequent and low-intensity under the forest canopy. Prescribed burns are conducted to reduce the risk of wildfires and restore fire adaptive ecosystems.
Coordinates 45° 50' 52.7994'' Latitude
-114° 12'
0
'' Longitude
Current Situation
Total Personnel: up to 37 personnel and 3 engines
Size 210 Acres
Outlook
Current Weather
Weather Concerns

Weather forecasted for Friday (4/25) is showing to be conducive to a successful burn. Weather will be mostly sunny then partly cloudy after noon. Maximum temperatures of 63-68°, minimum humidities of 22-27% and Southeast winds 5-10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph in the afternoon. Fire may be visible from the West Fork highway. 

On Saturday (4/26) the area is expecting partly cloudy skies with rain showers likely in the afternoon. Chance of wetting rain is 20%. Max temperatures 66-71°, minimum humidities of 27-32% and light and variable winds of 2-4mph becoming southwest 5-8mph in the afternoon. Smoke may be visible within the southern Bitterroot Valley and may pool along the West Fork Highway and the Piquett/Pine Creek Drainages in the overnight and early morning hours.

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