Total Acreage: 4,259
Completion: 36%

BREAKDOWN BY FIRE

Government Fire: 2,768 acres
Billiard Fire: 1,201 acres
Isabella Lake Fire: 290 acres

HIGHLIGHTS: Firefighters have increased completion from 32% to 36%. Fire activity remains minimal following Thursday’s rain event. Minimal fire activity will continue for the next few days. Satellite imagery shows that any remaining heat is isolated throughout fire interiors and is mostly occurring within the Government Fire. Crews are mopping up, including the Walness Fire that started three days ago. Resources are also continuing to advance suppression repair.

Government Fire: Mastication was completed yesterday. Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire’s edge near private residences. Crews are mopping up the fire area from C Spur Road, connecting to the handline. Dozer line repair work will require another few days of excavator work.

Billiard Fire: Firefighters are mopping up and advancing suppression repair. Crews continue to focus on cleaning out culverts obstructed from mastication-related activities. Suppression repair along the Billiard Cabin Road and Fatman Road is nearly complete. Excavators will continue road repairs in other areas for the next several days. Tree fellers will continue to remove hazard trees along Fatman Road, where feasible.

Isabella Lake Fire: The Grangeville Helitack Crew will remove the structure wrap off the bridge in the fire area.

WEATHER: Over the next few days, temperatures will slowly rise. Today will be about 5° warmer than yesterday. A large ridge of high pressure is returning to the area. This will slowly increase temperatures and decrease humidity. Nevertheless, relative humidity will remain at or above 40 percent, even in the afternoons. The warmest days ahead will be Monday through Wednesday, reaching the upper-60s to mid-70s.

Bull Gin Complex: Government Fire: Pre-Evacuation Zone Update

Effective at 0600 on Saturday September 24, 2022, all pre-evacuation zones for the Bull Gin Complex Government Fire will be lifted. The residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road are no longer in pre-evacuation status. The Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road will remain closed to the public.

Closures: All closure orders remain in effect until further notice. For closure order information please refer to the Inciweb at the link below for maps of the closure order areas: https://bit.ly/KootenaiNFClosures 

Total Acreage: 4,254
Completion: 32%

BREAKDOWN BY FIRE

Government Fire: 2,763 acres
Billiard Fire: 1,201 acres
Isabella Lake Fire: 290 acres

HIGHLIGHTS: Yesterday’s rain significantly reduced fire activity throughout the Complex, with some areas receiving up to 0.8” of precipitation. Today’s focus is on patrol and suppression repair. Along cold sections of each fire, crews will remove unneeded hose lays and pumps, as is feasible. Firefighters will also complete mopping up the Wanless Fire, the new start that occurred two days ago.

Government Fire: Firefighting efforts, combined with the rain, have successfully kept the fire north of the Rock Creek control line. Firefighters continue to patrol and mop up the fire, especially in the southern area near private residences. Mastication in the southwest portion of the fire continues.

Billiard Fire: Crews will continue gridding and advancing suppression repair work, with a focus on removing debris from culverts. Excavators will repair dozer and handline.

Isabella Lake Fire: The fire continues to be monitored by air resources.

Total Acreage: 4,225

BREAKDOWN BY FIRE:

Government Fire: 2,740 acres
Billiard Fire: 1,195 acres
Isabella Lake Fire: 290 acres  

COMMMUNITY MEETING:
 
Please join Northern Rockies Team 2 and the Kootenai National Forest and for a Community Meeting.  Friday, 9/23/22, 10:00 AM; Noxon Fire Hall 401 Noxon Avenue, Noxon, MT, 59853

HIGHLIGHTS:

Today’s rain will significantly calm fire activity for a few days. There was a new fire start named the Wanless Fire yesterday, to which crews assigned to the Complex responded via Initial Attack. Fire activity upon arrival was low and continues to decrease as firefighters mop up. Fire behavior throughout the Complex is expected to remain minimal through Friday. This will allow resources to focus on monitoring, patrolling, removing unneeded hose lays, advancing suppression repair, and mopping up.

Government Fire: The Fire continues to be most active in the southern area and has met the control line near Rock Creek. Firefighters ensure that the fire stays north of the dozer line by extinguishing hot spots. Engines continue to monitor the private residences south of the fire. Today, masticators will advance their work in the southwestern area while crews remove unneeded hose lays.

 

Billiard Fire: Firefighters are gridding — a systematic way of patrolling — the fire perimeter. Given fire conditions, all hose lays near Billiard Cabin have been removed. Crews are also repairing unneeded handline. Some firefighters were able to respond to yesterday’s new fire start and will continue mopping up, extinguishing hot spots in the coming days.

 

Isabella Lake Fire: Aerial flights continue to monitor the fire. 

WEATHER: 

The weather word for today is rain. While the heaviest part of the storm was this morning, showers will continue through the day. In total, the Complex will receive 0.15-0.3” of precipitation. A wind shift, now coming from the southwest, will also occur. Today’s forecast calls for temperatures between 50-60°. 

WHEN WILL IT BE OUT?

Even though it’s raining, smoke will persist, and the fires still have the potential to spread. The Fires will stay active, especially in areas where the canopy prevents dry fuels from receiving moisture. It will take a season-ending event to extinguish these fires. This event will include sustained lower temperatures, shorter burning periods, increased relative humidity, shorter sunlight duration, and significant moisture. Today’s rain event will not be a season-ending event.

CONTAINMENT vs. COMPLETION

Recent updates refer to completion, rather than containment. Wildfire patterns are changing, causing firefighters to adjust how they can most safely and effectively fight fire. Steep and rugged terrain, dead snags, and other safety hazards make it unsafe for firefighters to fight the Fire directly. Therefore, this Complex, like an increasing number of wildfires, is utilizing a “point protection” strategy. This approach focuses on values at risk (such as private property, infrastructure, high value assets, ecological resources) as “points.” Firefighters establish control and contingency lines around these points, working toward completion.

EVACUATIONS:  

On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status. For status of emergency conditions, please sign up for Sanders County Emergency Alerts at 406-203-0082.

CLOSURES:

Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road are closed to the public. The Noxon Refuse Site remains open during regular hours. Area, road, and trail closures are in place for the Government, Billiard, and Isabella Lake Fires to provide for public safety and firefighting operations. See Inciweb for maps and closure descriptions: https://bit.ly/KootenaiNFClosures. 

Information Phone Line: 406-426-9644
Email: 2022.bullgin@firenet.gov

Please join Northern Rockies Team 2 and the Kootenai National Forest and for a Community Meeting. The meeting will be held on Friday, September 23, at 10:00 and will occur at the Noxon Fire Hall. Address: 401 Noxon Avenue, Noxon, Montana, 59853.

BULL GIN COMPLEX FIRES

Breakdown by Fire:

Government Fire: 2,624 acres
Billiard Fire: 1,144 acres
Isabella Lake Fire: 287 acres

COMMMUNITY MEETING:

HIGHLIGHTS:

Government Fire: Firefighters are diligently patrolling and mopping up the southern end of the fire, especially near private residences. Crews are removing some unneeded hose lays, based on fire conditions. Along the eastern side of the fire, chipping efforts continue to make progress southward. A dozer line was established moving from the east to southeast edge and piling and chipping were completed. Fire resources will continue mastication work in the southwestern area in the coming days.

Billiard Fire: Engines and crews are patrolling, monitoring, and mopping up near Blue Creek, Blue Creek Bay, Hillside Lane, and Fatman Road. Resources are removing hose lay in areas where fire activity has calmed down.

Isabella Lake Fire: The fire continues to be monitored by air resources.

WEATHER: 

WHEN WILL IT BE OUT?

CONTAINMENT vs. COMPLETION

EVACUATIONS:  

On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status. For status of emergency conditions, please sign up for Sanders County Emergency Alerts at 406-203-0082.

CLOSURES:

Information Phone Line: 406-426-9644
Email: 2022.bullgin@firenet.gov

Bull Gin Complex Fires

Government Fire: 2,470 acres; 0% completion
Billiard Fire: 1,125 acres; 6% completion
Isabella Lake Fire: 287 acres; 0% completion

Government Fire: On the western edge of the fire, it remains above Government Creek, and it is still above the Rock Creek drainage on the east side. Fire activity is expected to slightly increase as it reaches new fuels, possibly reaching the creek by tomorrow. Flames continue to back slowly down slopes. For example, fire behavior analysts observed the fire’s highest rate of movement yesterday at about 20 feet per hour. Despite burning slowly, the heavy fuels within the active portions of this fire continue to hold a fair amount of heat, resulting in smoke events like experienced yesterday. Firefighters continue to prioritize structure protection near private property near the southern portion of the fire. Mastication along Spur Road is now complete, while it continues along the southwest portion of the fire.

Billiard Fire: The fire continues to burn in heavy, dense forest. Chipping and mastication is now concluded for this fire. Crews continue to monitor and test pumps near structures and private property. Firefighters are actively patrolling and monitoring structures along Blue Creek, Blue Creek Bay, Hillside Lane, and Fatman Road.

Isabella Lake Fire: Aerial flights continue to monitor this fire.

WEATHER: Last night’s cold front produced a breezy northeast wind along the ridgetops, which will continue throughout the day. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and minimum humidity around 40 percent. A wetting rain is still expected Wednesday night into Thursday, possibly producing over a quarter inch of precipitation.

WHEN WILL IT BE OUT?
Even though wet conditions have occurred and are predicted tomorrow, smoke will persist, and the fires still have the potential to spread. The fires will stay active in the interior, and in isolated spots around the uncontrolled fire edge, especially in areas where dry pockets of fuel under canopy cover shelters from moisture. It will take a season-ending event to extinguish these fires fully. This event will include sustained lower temperatures, shorter burning periods, increased relative humidity, shorter sunlight duration, and significant moisture. While this complex continues to emit smoke, note that the large smoke plume seen yesterday was from the Kootenai River Complex located to the northwest.

EVACUATIONS:  On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status. For status of emergency conditions, please sign up for Sanders County Emergency Alerts at 406-203-0082.

CLOSURES: Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road are closed to the public. The Noxon Refuse Site remains open during regular hours. Area, road, and trail closures are in place for the Government, Billiard, and Isabella Lake Fires to provide for public safety and firefighting operations. See Inciweb for maps and closure descriptions: https://bit.ly/KootenaiNFClosures. 

Information Phone Line: 406-426-9644

Email: 2022.bullgin@firenet.gov

Bull Gin Complex Fires

Government Fire: 2,413 acres; 0% completion
Billiard Fire: 1,125 acres; 6% completion
Isabella Lake Fire: 285 acres; 0% completion

HIGHTLIGHTS: Northern Rockies Team 2 assumed command of the Bull Gin Complex at 6:30 AM today. While incident command is changing, today’s firefighting operations and fire behavior is similar to yesterdays. The fires are expected to be fairly quiet, with minimal fire behavior continuing to move downhill in certain areas. Firefighters will continue to maintain and advance control lines and protect values at risk. Northern Rockies Team 2 thanks the community for its warm welcome and looks forward to working with you all.

Government Fire: The southeast area of the fire continues to be the most active portion of this fire. Firefighters continue to focus on reinforcing control lines, especially where the fire continues to move downhill toward Rock Creek and Rock Creek Road. Resources are actively monitoring the handline and maintaining hoselays established near the private property in this area. Chipping along also Rock Creek Road continues. Engines are patrolling and monitoring structures along Government Road, while masticators advance work along the road. Aircraft are monitoring the Rock Lake Fire, which firefighters recently controlled via initial attack.

Billiard Fire:  Firefighters completed the contingency line along Fatman Road. Dozers also completed lines along the southeast side of the fire. Resources continue to monitor the fire in relation to these lines. Masticators are improving the contingency lines along Road 2296, which connects Fatman Road and Blue Creek Road. Crews continue to patrol and monitor structures along Blue Creek, Blue Creek Bay, Hillside Lane, and Fatman Road.

Isabella Lake Fire: The fire continues to be monitored by air resources.

EVACUATIONS:  On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status. For status of emergency conditions, please sign up for Sanders County Emergency Alerts at 406-203-0082.

CLOSURES: Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road are closed to the public. The Noxon Refuse Site remains open during regular hours. Area, road, and trail closures are in place for the Government, Billiard, and Isabella Lake Fires to provide for public safety and firefighting operations. See Inciweb for maps and closure descriptions: https://bit.ly/KootenaiNFClosures.

WEATHER:   Today’s forecast is calling for a cooler but dry day, with continued cloud coverage. Today’s winds will be westerly, with gusts up to 15-20 mph on ridgetops. A dry cold front is expected to set in tonight, causing the wind to shift in direction from west to northeast. Wind speed will be similar tonight. A wetting rain (¼ to  ½ inch) is anticipated Wednesday evening, but conditions could change.  

Information Phone Line: 406-426-9644

Email: 2022.bullgin@firenet.gov

Bull Gin Complex Fires

Government Fire: 2,414 acres; 0% containment

Billiard Fire: 1,125 acres; 6% containment

Isabella Lake Fire: 285 acres; 0% containment

The Bull Gin Complex is currently 3,824 acres. Billiard fire containment increased to 6% as firefighters further secured the western edge.  Warming temperatures and drying conditions contribute to a gradual increase in fire activity after the rainfall last week. To date, over 104,250 hours of firefighting efforts and incident support have occurred on the Bull Gin Complex. Northern Rockies Team 7 will transfer command of the Bull Gin Complex to Northern Rockies Team 2 at 6:30 AM on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Government Fire: Firefighters saw a slight uptick in fire activity yesterday afternoon including isolated tree torching and active surface flame. The fire was most active in the southeast, where active surface fire was burning heavy dead-and-down fuels and backing downslope towards the cobblestone in Rock Creek and containment lines. Sprinklers and water conveyance systems are in place in an old growth cedar grove southeast of the fire’s edge. Heavy equipment and crews completed chipping efforts from the intersection of the 150 road and 150A road to Rock Lake Trailhead and will continue fuel-break improvement, working south on the 150 road chipping slash and hauling brush to designated areas. Mastication was completed in the 2763 road system. On the west side, engines continue to patrol and monitor structures along the Government Road. 

Billiard Fire: Firefighters observed increased fire activity, with surface fire backing downslope towards dozer line above Fatman Road. Handcrews and skidgines patrol, secure, and mop up the fire edge in the northwest area near the Billiard cabin. Slash removal work continues to the west of the fire along Blue Creek Road and Fatman Road. Mastication along the 2293 road system is complete and crews will remove slash to improve containment lines to the south. Engines patrol and monitor structures along Blue Creek, Blue Creek Bay, Hillside Lane, and Fatman Road.

Isabella Lake Fire: The fire remains unstaffed and monitored.

Evacuations: On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status.  

Closures: Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road are closed to the public. The Noxon Refuse Site remains open during regular hours. Area, road, and trail closures are in place for the Government, Billiard, and Isabella Lake Fires to provide for public safety and firefighting operations. See Inciweb for maps and closure descriptions.

Government Fire 2,376 acres  0%

Billiard Fire  1,119 acres  3%

Isabella Lake Fire  280 acres  0%

The Bull Gin Complex is currently 3,775 acres. Firefighters are working to secure lines to achieve containment where the fires reach constructed or natural control lines. Containment is achieved when a fire can be left unsupervised with no risk of spreading beyond control lines. The west side of the Government Fire continues to experience burning materials ‘rolling out’ and falling over the control line. Fire activity across the complex is reduced with minimal surface fire due to dewey mornings and less solar heating during the day.

Government Fire: Along Rock Creek Road and the 2763 road system, firefighters and heavy equipment are removing slash created from fire line construction using masticators and chippers. Government Creek is providing a natural control line on the northwest perimeter. Yesterday evening was the last night shift, where firefighters and engines patrolled and monitored the southern portion of the fire. The Rock Lake Fire is controlled and in patrol status.

Billiard Fire: A portion of the west side of the fire, from Fatman Saddle north to Broken Hill Road, is secured and contained. Firefighters extinguished areas of heat 30 to 60 feet inside the control line and removed fire weakened trees that could potentially fall over the line. The Aravaipa Hotshots are constructing handline directly along the fire edge north of Broken Hill Road. Crews and heavy equipment completed line construction to the south in the 2293 road system, tying line to a natural rock scree feature. Chippers and masticators are mitigating slash from fireline construction along Fatman Road and to the west along the Blue Creek Road. Engines patrol structures in Blue Creek, Blue Creek Bay, Hillside Lane, and Fatman Road.

Isabella Lake Fire: The fire remains unstaffed and monitored.

Evacuations: On September 8th the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office placed the residents along Government Mountain Road and Timber Ridge Road into pre-evacuation status. Please sign up for Sanders County Emergency Alerts at 406-203-0082 to stay informed on the status of emergency conditions.

Closures: Government Mountain Road and Rock Creek Road are closed to the public. The Noxon Refuse Site remains open during regular hours. Area, road, and trail closures are in place for the Government, Billiard, and Isabella Lake Fires to provide for public safety and firefighting operations. See Inciweb for maps and closure descriptions.

Weather: Partly cloudy with a low chance for an isolated shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon. Temperatures low to mid 60s with southwest winds 5 to 10 mph and gusts up to 15 mph switching to north 4 to 8 mph on the ridgetops after 6:00 PM.