Single Publication

Type 3 Incident Command Team, Incident Commander Matt Young   

Location: Bitterroot NF: Railroad Creek/ Skalkaho Creek confluence, 26 miles southeast of Hamilton

Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: 20 Miles northwest of Georgetown Lake Dam off  Skalkaho Hwy 38 

Start Date: 7/25/2024  

Cause: Undetermined     

Daly Fire Acres: 9,493  Railroad Fire Acres: 1,441  Completion: 56% 

Total Personnel: 230 

Current Status  

With the cooler temperatures, the Railroad-Daly fire showed minor growth in acres yesterday. Fire crews utilized firing operations to burn ground fuels between control line and the fires flaming front from Gird Point Rd to Hwy 38. Helicopters aided firefighters during firing operations to cool down fires edge. 

Today crews will assess the need to continue firing operations in the Gird Point area in efforts to establish an anchor point. Structure protection will continue between Gird Creek Road and Hwy 38. Firefighters will proceed with scouting for natural control features to aid with operations. 

Weather and Fire Behavior  

Today cloud cover is predicted to provide slightly cooler temperatures and slightly higher relative humidity. Wind is predicted to be between 6-9 mph with gusts of 20 mph in the afternoon.    

Clouds and cooler temperatures will help to moderate fire behavior on existing wildfires. Smoke and haze will still be a concern, particularly over portions of Southwest Montana. 
By midday Friday, the HRRR smoke model shows heavy smoke surging into Western Montana from regional wildfires. Conditions can change quickly as weather could stimulate active fires and the likelihood of new starts increases. Please keep track of concentrations at todaysair.mtdeq.us or the Fire and Smoke Map. 

EVACUATIONS 

On October 9, 2024 the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office issued an Evacuation Warning for residents off of Skalkaho Highway (1700-2500 block) due to the Railroad-Daly Fire. For more information on evacuations visit the Ravalli County Sheriff Facebook page.  

To register your phone number for emergency notifications in Ravalli County visit, http://hyper-reach.com/mtravallisignup.html. 

CLOSURES   

For additional information on the Skalkaho Hwy 38 road closure visit Montana Department of Transportation. 

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has issued an Area/Road/Trail Closure (Closure #01020824-19) effective October 4, 2024. This Order is for public and firefighter safety during fire suppression efforts of the Fire. Closure information and maps are posted on the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests’ website www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices and www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bitterroot/alerts-notices.