Significant progress made on fires up Lolo Creek

Release Date: Aug 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Significant progress made on fires up Lolo Creek

MISSOULA, MT– Cooperative weather and skilled efforts by firefighting resources led to 100% containment on the West Fork Lolo 2 Fire and 60% containment on the Wagon Mountain Fire. Resources will remain on scene throughout the weekend. A significant change to much cooler and wetter weather is forecasted starting Friday. However, today and tomorrow are likely to be two of the hottest days in 2019 with a steadily increasing threat for showers and thunderstorms will occur each day.

Updates on fires up Lolo Creek on the Lolo National Forest:

West Fork Lolo 2 Fire, Missoula Ranger District

Location: 1 mile southwest of Lolo Hot Springs; .5 miles west of Lee Creek Campground across

Highway 12

Status: Firefighters were successful in reaching 100% containment on the West Fork Lolo 2 Fire yesterday. A handline has been completed around the fire and firefighters have used water to wet the ground approximately 100 feet within the perimeter. Today firefighters will continue to monitor fire activity and wet hot spots within the fire perimeter. Having reached containment, fire leadership will change from a Type 4 incident to a Type 5 incident today.

Acres: Approximately 4 acres

Cause: Lightning

Closures: Lee Creek Campground is closed for staging of firefighting equipment and overnighting firefighters.

Fire Behavior: Interior smoldering. Minimal fire activity.

Structures or other values at risk: None at this time. No evacuations are in effect.

 

Wagon Mountain Fire, Missoula Ranger District

Location: Located on Wagon Mountain, approximately 2 miles northeast of Lolo Pass Visitor Center and east of Highway 12. Not to be confused with the Wagon Mountain Road between Graves Creek and Fish Creek Roads on the west side of Highway 12.

Status: Firefighting resources made good progress on the Wagon Mountain Fire yesterday. Both handline and excavator line were used in direct attack along with bucket drops from two Type 1 helicopters. Approximately 5,500 gallons of water were dropped on the fire. The fire has reached 60% containment and will change from a Type 3 incident to a Type 4 incident today. Firefighters and an excavator will continue with line construction with continued assistance from one Type 1 helicopter.

Acres: Approximately 15 acres, varying with spot fires

Cause: Lightning

Fire behavior: Smoldering, single tree torching, and spotting.

Closures: Lee Creek Campground is closed for staging of firefighting equipment and overnighting firefighters. An area closure around the fire will go into effect today for the protection of firefighting resources and the public safety. This will include closure of the Lee Creek Road #699, Lee Ridge Trail #295, Wagon Mountain Trail #300 and a segment of the historic Lolo Trail #15 (Nez-Perce and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trails) from Highway 12 to the Montana/Idaho border. Please see InciWeb (listed below) or the Lolo National Forest website (https://www.fs.usda.gov/lolo/) for the specific closure order and map.

Structures or other values at risk: None at this time. No evacuations are in effect.

As you prepare for your weekend, pack what you need to enjoy your campfire safely. Pack a shovel and bucket and make sure you have a source of water to extinguish the flames. Clear the area around your fire pit and do not light fires under branches. Keep your fires small and keep an eye on the weather. Sudden wind gusts can blow sparks into vegetation outside your cleared area, causing unexpected fires. If you see smoke, please report it to the Missoula Interagency Dispatch Center at (406) 829-7070 or 911.

2019 Fire Season: The Lolo National Forest remains in very high fire danger. This year to date there have been 51 wildfires within the Lolo National Forest protection area; 33 human caused, 18 lightning caused. So far, approximately 423 acres have been impacted by wildfire on the Lolo National Forest.

For continued updates please visit InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6505/  and follow the Lolo National Forest on Facebook @lolonationalforest and on Twitter @LoloNF.