Single Publication

Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1

Assumes Command of Ridge, Doris, and Tin Solider Fires

August 24, 2023 Daily Update

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

Ridge Fire

Location: 6 miles southeast of Hungry Horse

Size: 3651 acres

 Percent Contained: 76%

Doris Point Fire 

Location: 8 miles south of Hungry Horse

Size: 1534 acres

Percent Contained: 10%

Personnel Assigned: 483

Tin Soldier Fires

Location: 17 miles east of Swan Lake

 Size: 7697 acres

 Percent Contained: 0%

 Personnel Assigned: 29

Personnel Assigned: 94

Highlights: Wet and muddy road conditions continue to challenge firefighter access for all fire areas. Yesterday aviation resources obtained infrared imagery for all the fires and significant heat signatures remain within the fire perimeters, particularly on the Doris Point and Tin Soldier Fires. Expect to see increased activity on all incidents as weather improves. Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1 will host a community meeting at the Glacier Bible Camp at 5:00 PM on Sunday, August 27th.

Operations:

Ridge Fire: Yesterday ground resources continued to monitor the fire after the weather event over the last week. Road accessibility continues to be an issue as the ground begins to dry out. The southeast corner of the fire was inaccessible, but managers assessed the northern most section of line for opportunities to construct handline. Today crews will continue assessing this northern section, as well as patrol the fire line and plan for backhaul missions. A repair group will be evaluating restoration needs.

Doris Point Fire: Road access was difficult for resources on the Doris Point Fire and crews spent yesterday clearing downed trees and rolling debris off the roadways. Today ground resources will continue with that mission, in addition to securing rolling debris near Doris Creek Campground and monitoring the fire perimeter.

Tin Soldier Fire: Yesterday managers worked closely with Resource Advisors regarding the mechanical thinning project timeline along Meadow Creek. Similar to the other fires, road access remains challenging. Today crews will check pump operations around the structures and look for opportunities to backhaul supplies and equipment. Resources will also secure an area of slop over that occurred prior to the rain event. Additionally, managers will assess FS RD 2828 to prep for future use as an access route, or containment feature.

Weather and Fire Behavior:

A cold front moved through the fire area yesterday bringing gusty winds and a drop in temperatures. A ridge of high pressure will be the dominant feature over the fire today with mostly sunny conditions and winds being primarily terrain driven. A front from the eastside of the Continental Divide will push into the area tonight and into Friday. This front will change winds to a more easterly persuasion, but will have little effect on temperatures.

Ridge, Doris Point, and Tin Soldier Fires: 75-80 degrees in the lower elevations and 66-71 degrees in the mid-slopes to ridges with minimum relative humidity at 26-31%. For the Ridge and Doris Point fires, winds will be northwest 5-10 mph with gusts to around 15 mph on the ridgetop. For the Tin Soldier fires, winds will be west winds 5-10 mph with gusts around 15 mph on the ridgetop.

Ridge & Doris Fire Pre-Evacuation Notice:

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office has rescinded the pre-evacuation notice from the east side of Spotted Bear Road to West Glacier. Visit the Flathead Sheriff’s office for details https://www.facebook.com/flatheadsheriff

Fire Closure:

The Hungry Horse Reservoir is closed to all public access, including both the east and west side roads. The Forest Closure Order that includes the Heinrude Community remains in effect. As firefighting efforts continue on the Ridge Fire, the Tin Soldier, and other fires in the area, 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 ready.gov/wildfires for preparing for wildfires. Please refer to https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/mtfnf-tin-soldier-fire for the Tin Soldier Complex Incident information.

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