Single Publication

East Fork Fire - Update August 20, 2023

Kootenai National Forest/Flathead National Forest

Fire Information 406-285-8634 Eastforkfireinfo@gmail.com
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information//mtknf-east-fork-fire

Yesterday’s Events: Smoke from Canadian fires resulted in lower temperatures and higher relative humidity on Saturday,
limiting fire spread to approximately 1⁄4 mile to the east. While night crews removed logs from burned areas, day crews
focused on strengthening firelines and constructing new lines where appropriate. Heavy equipment cleared roads to prevent
further fire spread in the Martin Creek area. Ground crews evaluated the safest means of constructing line in the most
inaccessible areas of the fire.

The Trego School and community hosted a public meeting for the Critical Incident Management Team to share current
conditions and strategies regarding the suppression of the East Fork Fire. There were approximately 100 citizens in
attendance. The team sincerely appreciates the kindness and hospitality of this community. In addition, we were grateful for
this opportunity to address their questions and concerns.

Plans for Today: Fire crews will take advantage of the high humidity and cloud/smoke cover to more aggressively
construct firelines. Fire Behavior Analyst, Eric Trimble forecasts that while the fire may grow a bit today, spread will be
minimal.

Evacuations: The Flathead County Sheriff’s Department’s mandatory evacuation has been moved to pre-evacuation status for residents and visitors
along the Highway 93 corridor that were previously under a mandatory evacuation.  For more information, go to the Sheriff’s Department website.