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Strategic firing operations were successfully implemented on the eastern side of the fire today, as firefighters used UAS (“drone”) to ignite and burn the fuels between the active fire edge and the constructed control lines from previous fire incidents (State Creek Fire of 2020 and McCluskey Fire of 2019) along the Hay Canyon Road.

The crews have progressed approximately 40% of the way with completion of firing operations along this section of line.

This fire suppression tactic is an effective method of reducing the available fuels ahead of an active fire edge, while reducing the potential for negative impacts to the identified and prioritized values.

Smoke was visible in several areas, including the Whitetail Valley and the Interstate 90 corridor near Whitehall. With the predicted southerly winds tomorrow, drift smoke may push to the north/northeast towards the Boulder area.

Fire managers from the Forest, working in collaboration with local Jefferson County officials and cooperating agency representatives from the DNRC and BLM, have identified, mapped, and prioritized critical values at risk in and around the fire area.

These inter-agency, values-based discussions are critical in fire management, informing the decision-making process.

The Forest has issued an area closure around the fire area, north of Whitehall on the Butte Ranger District. An area closure often involves specific trail and road sections. The area closure information and maps can be found on the Forest website, under the Closures and Alerts tab.

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

This closure applies to the following National Forest System (NFS) lands, approximately 15 miles north of Whitehall, MT.

All of the National Forest System lands within:

• T3N, R5W, SECTIONS 1, 2, 3

• T4N, R5W SECTION 35