Single Publication

 Ridge Fire

 Location: 6 miles southeast of Hungry Horse

 Size: 3665 acres

 Percent Contained: 76%

 Cause: Lightning

 Start Date: July 30th, 2023 @ 3:45 PM

 Personnel Assigned: 320

Doris Point Fire

 Location: 8 miles south of Hungry Horse

 Size: 1606 acres

 Percent Completed: 95%

 Cause: Lightning

 Start Date: July 30th, 2023 @ 3:45 PM

 Personnel Assigned: 22

Tin Soldier Fires

 Location: 17 miles east of Swan Lake

 Size: 8165 acres

 Percent Completed: 94%

 Cause: Lightning

 Start Date: July 30th, 2023 @ 3:45 PM

 Personnel Assigned: 80

Highlights:

As of 9 am this morning, the mandatory evacuation order for the Heinrude Community has been rescinded. The closure order for the Hungry Horse Reservoir still remains in place and residents of the Heinrude Community need to contact the Hungry Horse Ranger Station to make arrangements to access their properties. Recent precipitation has limited fire activity to smoldering on all fires and the rainfall has slowed repair work. A low amplitude ridge of high pressure will build over the region today through the weekend causing a slow warming and drying trend. However, another low-pressure system will impact the area with cooler temperatures and more moisture on Monday.

Operations:

Ridge and Doris Point Fires:

The Ridge and Doris Point Fire areas received over 1.5 inches of rain over the last operational period, which limited fire activity significantly. This also slowed ongoing repair work on contingency lines on the Ridge Fire. Additionally, debris came down on the roadway near the Doris Point Fire that firefighters were not able to remove. Montana Department of Transportation is assisting with the road debris removal. Firefighters also noticed rising creek water in the area and took action to remove pumps from streambeds and shorelines in anticipation of rising waters. Today crews will assess access and rollout on the roads, as well as load some pumps and hoses for backhaul. Ground resources will seek out opportunities for additional repair work on contingency lines.

Tin Soldier Fire:  

The Tin Solider Fires received less precipitation than the Ridge and Doris Point Fires with 0.5 to 0.75 inches of rainfall, but amounts were significant enough to reduce fire activity and cause erosion issues on roadways accessing the fire areas. Some repair work was successfully conducted with excavators. Ground resources today will be assessing roads for areas that need improvement and grading. If able, crews will continue with mechanical thinning on the Bruce Fire, but the focus today will be on road access.

Weather and Fire Behavior:
Near-record precipitation amounts impacted the greater fire areas yesterday with 1.72 inches recorded at the Incident Command Post. A few light showers will be possible today, especially this morning, as the weather system continues to exit the region. A ridge of high pressure will be building over the fires today through Friday allowing for a warming and drying trend.

Ridge, Doris Point, and Tin Soldier Fires: 66-71° in the lower elevations and 56-61° in the mid-slopes to ridges with minimum relative humidity at 40-45%. Winds on the Ridge and Doris Point Fires will be southwest 5-10 mph. On the Tin Soldier Fires winds will be southwest 5-10 mph with gusts to 15 mph.

Fire Closure:

The Hungry Horse Reservoir is closed to all public access, including both the east and west side roads. Residents of the Heinrude Community need to contact the Hungry Horse Ranger Station at (406) 387-3800 to arrange access to their properties. For the most current information regarding evacuation status please visit https://flathead.mt.gov/department-directory/oes/emergency-management/ridge-fire-information. As firefighting efforts continue on the Ridge Fire, Doris Point Fire, and Tin Soldier Fire the closure is in place to provide for public and firefighter safety. https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/flathead/alerts-notices/?aid=82283

Additional Information:

Residents should stay alert for changing conditions and visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires for preparing for wildfires. Information for the Ridge, Doris Point, and Tin Soldier Complex Fires is found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/mtfnf-ridge-fire.

Fire Information: 406-998-6074 (8:00 am to 7:00 pm)                                                    

Email: 2023.ridge@firenet.gov

https://www.facebook.com/ridge.fire.information                              https://www.youtube.com/@2023ridgefire