CROOKED CREEK FIRE UPDATE
 
June 16, 2021 – 7:00 p.m.
Contact: Al Nash, 406.896.5260, al_nash@blm.gov
 
Reported: June 15, 2021, at 7:00 p.m.
Cause: UnknownSize: 5,100 acres, 0% containment
 
The Crooked Creek Fire is burning on the Custer Gallatin National Forest in Carbon County, Mont., east of Bridger, Mont., in the Pryor Mountains near the southern border of the Crow Indian Reservation.
 
The fire was reported Tuesday evening, June 15, at which time three air tankers from Billings Air Tanker Base were dispatched to drop retardant on the fire before nightfall. Firefighting efforts resumed Wednesday with three large air tankers and a BLM helicopter and wildland engine.  

The Carbon County Sheriff's Office has issued a pre-evacuation warning for residents in the Sage Creek area. Both the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have issued closure orders for public lands in the area surrounding the fire in the interest of public safety. 

The Crooked Creek Fire is located northwest of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range and is not impacting the wild horse herd. 

The National Weather Service Point Forecast for the fire area for Thursday is for sunny skies with a high around 68 degrees, relative humidity dipping below 25% and north winds 10-14 miles per hour. The next chance of rain over the area is forecast for Saturday night. 

For more information please visit InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7542/ or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontana/ or follow us on Twitter at @BLM_MTDKs.

– BLM –

United States Department of the InteriorBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Billings Field Office5001 Southgate Drive Billings, Montana 5910Ihttp://www.blm.gov/montana-dakotas 
FIRE PREVENTION ORDER
CLOSUREORDER NUMBER MT-010-21-04
Pursuant to Title 43, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 9212.2 (a), (b)(l), the following acts are prohibited on all Bureau of Land Management lands administered by the Billings Field Office. Under Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart 9212, Section 9212. l Prohibited acts: Unless permitted in writing by the authorized officer, the following acts are prohibited until further notice: 

l . Going into or being upon any lands designated in the closure order.

l. Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.2. Emergency repair of public utilities and railroads as per attached conditions.3. Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.4. Any federal, state or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.5. Other exemptions unique to each agency/tribe.

Order Number 01-11-82-21-04UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREFOREST SERVICECUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FORESTBEARTOOTH RANGER DISTRICT – RED LODGE, MONTANA
FOREST ORDERCrooked Creek Fire - #01-11-82-21-04
Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551, 36 C.F.R. § 261.50 (a) and (b) the following acts are prohibited on the Beartooth Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest:

PROHIBITION:

Prohibited to go into or be upon any area which is closed for the protection of public health and safety: [36 C.F.R. § 261.53 (e)].

AREA CLOSURE DESCRIPTION:

The closure applies to all National Forest System (NFS) lands including roads and trails, depicted on the attached map (Attachment A) also known as the “Crooked Creek Fire Closure Area”.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this order is to protect firefighter and public health and safety near the Robinson Draw Fire on the Line Creek Plateau, south of Red Lodge in Carbon County, MT.

MPLEMENTATION: This order will be in effect from June 16, 2021, and shall remain in effect until December 31, 2021, or until the order is rescinded, whichever occurs first. These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.

EXEMPTIONS:

Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

(1) Persons with a permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.

(2) Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

VIOLATION:

Violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. (16 U.S.C. §551 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571(b)(6) and 3581(b)(7). Order Number 01-11-82-21-04

INFORMATION:

Further information regarding this Order may be obtained at the Beartooth Ranger District Office located at 6811 Hwy 212 South, Red Lodge, Montana, 59068 at (406) 446-2103, and at the Custer Gallatin National Forest Supervisor’s Office located at 10 E. Babcock, Bozeman, Montana, (406)587-6701 .

Executed in Bozeman, Montana, this 16 day of June 2021.

KATHY MINOR

Acting Forest Supervisor

LAS VEGAS – The Cottonwood Valley Fire has been GPSed at 373 acres on BLM managed public land in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and is now 40 percent contained. Full containment is anticipated June 18. The cause is unknown. 

 LAS VEGAS – The Cottonwood Valley Fire is approximately 400 acres and is burning on BLM managed public land in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It was reported at 11:08 a.m. today north of State Route 160 near the Late Night parking lot. It is currently 20 percent contained. BLM law enforcement is investigating the cause.  

Travelers on State Route 160 may be potentially impacted between mile markers 17 and 21. No injuries have been reported and no structures are threatened.

Fire behavior is extreme and is burning in pinion juniper, grass and brush. Smoke is viable from the Las Vegas Valley and along State Route 160.

A portion of the Cottonwood Valley Fire is burning within the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness Area and threatened natural resources include:  wilderness, bighorn sheep habitat, mountain bike trails and potentially springs.

More than 140 firefighters from BLM, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Nevada Division of Forestry  and Clark County are actively suppressing the fire.

For more information about fire restrictions, please visit nevadafireinfo.org.

For fire information, please visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7539/

# # #

LAS VEGAS – The Cottonwood Valley Fire is approximately 200 acres and is burning on BLM managed public land in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Travelers on State Route 160 may be potentially impacted between mile markers 17 and 21.   

Incident Command have announced containment on the Robertson Draw Fire to be 100%.

Neither smoke nor fire activity have been observed on the northwest perimeter in 40 days, despite several hot and windy Red Flag Warning days. Fire personnel have hiked into the problem area and checked for heat by hand, and none was found.

In addition, the closure area previously announced (#01-11-82-21-11) has been lifted. There are no longer any closure areas due to the Robertson Draw Fire.

The remaining closure for the Crooked Creek Fire in the Pryors has also been lifted. Please read here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7537/66569/ for further information.

Please use caution in recently reopened areas, and stay alert for changing conditions. Call the Beartooth Ranger District at: (406) 446-2103 for questions or concerns regarding the Robertson Draw or Crooked Creek fires.

Termination of an Order

Custer Gallatin National Forest

Pursuant to Title 36 CFR 261.50 (a) and (b), the prohibition listed in Order numbers 01-11-04-21-08 and 01-11-04-21-11 applicable to the Custer Gallatin National Forest, Beartooth Ranger District, dated August 8, 2021 and September 11, 2021 respectively, and signed by Mary Erickson are hereby terminated. Executed in Bozeman, Montana this 17th, day of September 2021 and effective as of this date.
 
There are now no closures due to the Robertson Draw, or Crooked Creek Fires on the Beartooth Ranger District.  

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551, 36 C.F.R. § 261.50 (a) and (b) and 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e), the following acts are prohibited on the Beartooth Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest:

PROHIBITION: Going into or be upon any area which is closed for the protection of public health and safety: [36 C.F.R. § 261.53 (e)].

AREA CLOSURE DESCRIPTION: The closure applies to all National Forest System (NFS) lands, including roads and trails, depicted on the attached map (Attachment A) also known as the “Robertson Draw Fire Closure Area”. The closure area is described as follows: All National Forest Lands in sections 20, 21, 28 and 29, T9S, R19E, that are north and east of the Maurice Creek Trail (FS Trail 9).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this order is to protect firefighter and public health and safety near the Robinson Draw Fire on the Line Creek Plateau, south of Red Lodge in Carbon County, MT.

IMPLEMENTATION: This order will be in effect from September 11, 2021, and shall remain in effect until December 31, 2021, or until the order is rescinded, whichever occurs first. These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.

EXEMPTIONS: Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order: 1: Persons with a special use authorization or other Forest Service authorization specifically exempting them from the effect of this Order. 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e)(1). 2: Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty. 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e)(4) VIOLATION: Violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. (16 U.S.C. §551 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571(b)(6) and 3581(b)(7).

Order Number 01-11-82-21-11 INFORMATION: Further information regarding this Order may be obtained at the Beartooth Ranger District Office located at 6811 Hwy 212 South, Red Lodge, Montana, 59068 at (406) 446-2103, and at the Custer Gallatin National Forest Supervisor’s Office located at 10 E. Babcock, Bozeman, Montana, (406)587-6701. Executed in Bozeman, Montana, this 11th day of September 2021.

Location: 7 miles south of Red Lodge, Montana

Incident Command: Type 4 Incident Management Team, Jeff Stabio – Incident Commander
Size: 29,885 acres
Containment: 95%
Personnel: 10

Current Status: This will be the last regular update for the Robertson Draw Fire unless significant events occur. Please call the Beartooth Ranger District at: (406) 446-2103 for updates or information regarding this incident. Smoke has not been observed on the northwest perimeter of the fire in 27 days, however fire personnel will continue to monitor the perimeter for fire activity.

Planned Actions: Rehabilitation and repair of lands due to firefighting efforts including dozer and handline repair, will continue.

Weather and Fuel Conditions: This week will be hotter than normal with light winds, and dry until Friday night which brings a 50% chance of rain, and a return to seasonable temperatures in long-range forecasts.

Closures: All National Forest System Lands between National Forest System Trail # 9 (Corral Creek Trail) and National Forest System Trail #7 (Face of the Mountain Trail) are closed to entry. Please see Forest Order #01-11-82-21-09 Area Closure Map 5 here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/7537/0/121407 for more details. Primary and Cooperating Agencies: USFS, DNRC, BLM, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, DES, and Road Department, Red Lodge Fire District, and Belfry Fire District