Single Publication

East Fork Fire

News - 09/01/2023

Location: 12 miles south of Trego, Montana

Information Line: 406-285-8634 

Start Date: 7/30/2023

Cause: Lightning

Size: 5162 acres

Containment: 30%     

Total Personnel: 588

Engines: 13

Helicopters: 2

Hand Crews: 10  

CURRENT STATUS

Firefighters removed hazardous trees from the fire area. Heavy equipment assisted crews in removal areas by transporting trees off the fire line. The fire produced scattered smoke along the fire’s northern and southeast perimeter, however, crews mopped up the residual heat they found in these areas. Crews patrolled the southwest portion of the fire line, however, few areas of heat were detected along the fire’s perimeter.  

PLANNED ACTION

Crews will continue to patrol areas along the fire’s perimeter, mopping up residual heat along the fire’s edge as they find it. With rising temperatures today, crews will likely be able to find additional pockets of heat that were not visible along the fire’s edge earlier in the week.

Due to muddy roads from heavy rainfall earlier in the week, heavy equipment will not be accessing lines previously constructed as contingency line further from the fire’s edge. Instead, their efforts will focus on improving line directly along the fire’s edge where roads are drier. In these areas, heavy equipment will assist ground crews with felling and removing hazardous trees.

Over the next few days, crews will connect sections of hand line together along the fire’s edge. Connecting these areas of handline prevents the fire from crossing into unburned territory in areas where handline wasn’t previously constructed. This process will likely take a few more days and then crews will pivot to repairing areas of line constructed in early August that are no longer needed to suppress fire activity.   

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR

More smoke may be visible in the fire area as temperatures rise into the mid to high 70s today. Winds may also pick up to about 15 mph with relative humidities in the mid 30s. Scattered smoke will likely be most visible in the area surrounding Blessed Creek and Advent Creek, with this active burning posing no threat to expanding the fire’s current acreage or perimeter.

CLOSURES AND EVACUATIONS

Lincoln and Flathead Counties have lifted all pre-evacuation orders. For more information, visit the Lincoln County and Flathead County Sheriff’s Department Facebook pages. 

 SPECIAL MESSAGES

Adhere to all road closure signs when driving or recreating in the East Fork Fire area. Closure Order 01-14-03-23-10 is still in effect on the Kootenai National Forest and Flathead National Forest for roads in the vicinity of the East Fork Fire. The purpose of this order is to provide for public and firefighter safety. All road closures are located South of Trego, Montana. Specific information about the closure area can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kootenai/alerts-notices/?aid=82240