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East Fork Fire - August 23, 2023 - UPDATE
East Fork Fire
Publication Type: News 08/25/2023
East Fork Fire - August 23, 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
August 23, 2023
Location: 12 miles south of Trego, MT
Start Date: 7/30/2023 Cause: Lightning Size: 4,614 acres* Containment: 5%
Total Personnel: 530 Engines: 16 Hand Crews: 11
Yesterday’s Events: The East Fork Fire received approximately 0.6” of rain over the last two days. Hand crews focused on areas of opportunity, including moving in as close as possible to the fire’s edge and tackling spot fires to the north of the main fire. Additional heavy equipment arrived, which will build the team’s capacity for activities such as fireline construction and road clearing. The incident management conducted a public meeting last night at the Olney-Bissell School. If you were unable to attend, you can check the Kootenai and/or Flathead National Forests’ Facebook page in the near future for a video of this meeting.
Plans for Today: The reduced fire intensity allows firefighters to more rapidly extend the existing fireline. Firefighters will continue to work to extinguish all spot fires and use drones for reconnaissance, especially in the Martin Creek area. Today’s weather should permit aviation resources such as helicopters and scoopers to join in the effort as well. Night operations will also continue, including patrols and the removal of logs from the fire area.
Evacuations: Some communities remain in a Pre-Evacuation Warning. Residents may return to their homes under a Pre-Evacuation Warning, but may need to leave again on short notice. For more information, go to the Sheriff’s Department website.
Public Meetings: No public meetings are scheduled at this time, but fire personnel will be available to answer questions at the farmer’s market in Eureka this afternoon.
*Updated acreage information was not available. Heavy smoke has prevented an IR flight for the past few days.