UPDATE (Friday): Latest on Boulder 2700 and Crooks fires

| August 6, 2021 9:15 AM

Boulder 2700 Fire

Finley Point Re-entry: Finley Point residents located south of Mahood Lane are allowed to re-enter the area. Residents need to receive a vehicle tag prior to re-entry. Tags can be picked up at Hwy 35 Mile Marker 2.5/Turtle Point Road checkpoint (from 6am to 10pm). Residents can request a contractor vehicle tag if needed.

Electric power has been restored on the trunk powerline to properties north of the fire area.

Evacuations and Closures: The evacuation orders issued on July 31 for residents along Highway 35 from Mahood Lane north to Highway Mile Marker 13 on the east side of Flathead Lake remains in effect. The Finley Point area remains in stage 2 (SET) evacuation status. Residents should be prepared to evacuate in the event fire activity increases. All homes from Mahood Lane north to Highway Mile Marker 13 remain evacuated due to hazards and fire concerns in the fire area. Highway 35 is closed in both directions from Polson at the Highway 93/35 junction to Blue Bay mile marker 15. Sign up for Lake County Emergency alerts at: signup.hyper-reach.com/hyper_reach/sign_up_page_2/?id=95122

Friday morning update

Estimated Size: 1,922 acres

Containment: 0%

Incident Command: Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 4, Rick Connell, Incident Commander

Highway 35 is closed in both directions from Polson at the Highway 93/35 junction to Blue Bay mile marker 15.

Finley Point Re-entry: Finley Point residents located south of Mahood Lane are allowed to re-enter the area. Residents need to receive a vehicle tag prior to re-entry. Tags can be picked up at Hwy 35 Mile Marker 2.5/Turtle Point Road check point (from 6am to 10pm). Residents can request a contractor vehicle tag if needed.

Electric power has been restored on the trunk powerline to properties north of the fire area.

Current Status: The fire activity around evacuated homes remains active and crews continue to provide structure protection and extinguish and mop up hot spots to prevent flare ups to reduce the reburn potential within unburned fuels. There are several hazards that remain including fire weakened trees, hot spots, and burned infrastructure like electric, phone, or propane lines. Along the north flank of the fire crews backburned off the 2700 Road moving north to secure the burnout into some old timber units and an old fire scar. A night shift of engines patrolled the area. Firefighters mopped up 75 feet in from the fire’s edge on the north fire line from Highway 35 east to the 2700 Road. On the south flank crews mopped up 75 to 100 feet in from the edge along the line moving east to the Communications Tower. Aircraft were used to keep the southeast flank of the fire in check above Station Creek as fire continues to work its way upslope.

Planned Actions: The fire is expected to continue to move east and upslope through heavy dead and downed forest which is inaccessible for ground crews. Crews are looking for opportunities along north-south road systems on both the north and south sides of the fire to build indirect or contingency lines. These would be used if the fire turns around either flank trying to move downslope. A Flathead County Engine Task Force is working on structure protection assessments for properties immediately north and south of the fire.

Weather conditions will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain showers. Temperatures will be 85-90 degrees and humidity levels 24-34 percent in the valleys. Lower elevation winds will be from the west at 10-20 mph.

Temporary Boating Restrictions (TBR): There is a TBR in place on Flathead Lake. No boats are allowed from Boulder Creek on the north to Station Creek on the south and one-half mile out from the shoreline. This restriction is in place to support the fire closure area as well as to provide a safe area on the lake for aircraft to pick up water.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): There is a TFR in place for air space over the Boulder 2700 Fire (FDC 1-0786) to reduce impacts to fire aviation operations. Temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. Drones are subject to the TFR. If you fly, we can’t!

Primary and Cooperating Agencies: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Office of Emergency Management, Finley Point/Yellow Bay Fire Department, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, U.S. Forest Service.

Crooks Fire Thursday update

Size: More than 1,000 acres

Road Closures: St. Mary’s to the North Fork is closed; Main Jocko Road (1000 Rd) is closed at the 3000 Rd junction.

Evacuations: None

Resources on the Fires: firefighters

Total Personnel: 100

Jurisdiction: CSKT

Managed by CSKT Fire Management

Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7759

Arlee - The Crooks fire started by lightning July 21, 2021 in the South Fork Jocko Primitive Area, a unique management area of the Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness Area that allows firefighters to use the natural occurrence of wildfire as a management tool to sustain ecosystem values. The fire is consuming thick standing and dead timber that has not seen fire in several decades.

It is also burning in a remote area where firefighters are not able to access. This presents significant safety concerns for firefighters working to keep the fire confined to a small footprint. Their work entails taking proactive measures to protect structures several miles from where the fire is burning in case a weather event pushes the fire west, into the lower elevations of the Jocko Valley.

Weather Outlook: The summer is unusually hot and dry. Under these conditions, a smoke column is likely to be visible from the Gold Creek Area.

Primary and Cooperating Agencies: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Office of Emergency Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, U.S. Forest Service.