Single Publication

East Fork Fire - Update August 21, 2023 

NORTHERN ROCKIES TEAM 6  

INCIDENT COMMANDER: Paul Roose 

Kootenai National Forest/Flathead National Forest 

Fire Information 406-285-8634 Eastforkfireinfo@gmail.com 

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information//mtknf-east-fork-fire 

Location: 12 miles south of Trego, MT 

Start Date: 7/30/2023 Cause: Lightning Size: 4,614 acres Containment: 5% 

Total Personnel: 556 Engines: 12 Hand Crews: 10  

Yesterday’s Events: At 2:00 PM, August 20th, the Evacuation Order issued on August 18, 2023, was downgraded back to a pre-evacuation warning. Smokey conditions continued to reduce fire behavior and limit spread. Personnel took advantage of these conditions to continue to extinguish hot spots along the burned edge on the southwest side of the fire. In addition, crews made progress on the north side of the fire lines focusing on areas with significant heat/spot fires. Aircraft including the super scoopers, operated in the afternoon operate to reduce fire spread into Martin Creek. Engine crews, assisted by helicopter bucket drops, contained hot spots in the Martin Creek area. CL 415 Scoopers dropped approximately 70,000 gallons of water yesterday. Scouting for additional contingency lines continues on the active fire front.  

Plans for Today: With the remnants of Hurricane Hillary, ½ -1inch of rain is expected over the next 36 hours, with heavy downpours. This weather system is considered to be a “season slowing” event and not a “season ending” event. Extended forecast calls for a return to drier conditions later in the week. Based on weather conditions, personnel will continue operations and air support will be provided as weather permits. Crews will search for opportunities to move closer to the fire to construct fire lines and will seek out and extinguish all hot spots. 

Evacuations: Some communities remain in a Pre-Evacuation Warming.  Residents may return to their homes under Pre-Evacuation Warning but may need to leave again on short notice if required. For more information, go to the Sheriff’s Department website.

Public Meetings: A public meeting will be held at 7:30 PM, Tuesday, August 22, at the Olney-Bissell School. The video from Friday nights’ town hall meeting can be found on YouTube (https://youtu.be/XgXP_s3I4Y4). Information and fire videos can also be found on the Kootenai and Flathead National Forests’ Facebook pages.