Bear Creek Fire now burning 5,000 acres

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Bear Creek Fire in the Dillon Ranger District grew Wednesday to about 5,000 acres. That's an increase from 1,500 reported earlier in the day.

Officials say the fire, which was reported Tuesday, was determined to be lightning-caused.

Red Flag conditions fueled fire growth throughout the day Wednesday and crews battled active fire behavior.

---

The following release was sent out by Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forests & Grasslands:

The Bear Creek Fire was reported at approximately 10:30 am on August 11 in the Lemhi Pass area on the Dillon Ranger District of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, (B-D). Lightning was determined to be the cause of the fire.

The fire size increased to approximately 5,000 acres by 4:00 PM this evening. Fire officials report that it burned actively throughout the day in all fire divisions, in fuels primarily of dead and down timber, heavy timber and some grass sage. Continued Red Flag Conditions and high winds fueled the fire growth. The Red Flag Conditions are predicted to end at 9:00 pm tonight; however potential for active fire behavior will continue.

Aviation resources were grounded today by the high winds, smoke and erratic fire behavior. Additionally, ground resources were limited by active fire behavior and inaccessibility due to the steep, rugged terrain. Fire officials anticipate beginning preps of in-direct fire lines this evening, depending on fire behavior.

An area closure will be done for public and firefighter safety, the first priority of fire management officials. There are no evacuations at this time.

Resources on scene remain the same, with an addition of helicopters to two Type 1, three Type 2, two Type 3 and two Type 3 scooper helicopters. A variety of other resources are either on site or inbound, including dozers, strike teams and other fire support. There are approximately 200 persons on site, additional inbound, all assigned to Bear Creek Fire.

The Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) of the Northern Rockies Team arrived today, led by Incident Commander (IC) Joe Sampson, and held an in-briefing at noon with B-D fire officials. At 6:00 am tomorrow, August 13, the Type 2 team will assume control of the fire. An incident command post, (ICP) will be established in Dillon and limited to 25 people. Other fire personnel will be staged in spike camps to assure social distancing.

Smoke continues to be visible over a large area throughout the day, including Dillon, the communities of the Big Hole Valley, Tendoy, Lemhi Valley, and the area surrounding Salmon, Idaho.

---

As of Wednesday morning the Bear Creek Fire, southwest Dillon, has grown to over 1,500 acres. The fire was reported on Aug. 11 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lemhi Pass area.

RED FLAG WARNING through this evening for Beaverhead/Deerlodge National Forest, Lewis and Clark National Forest Rocky Mountain District, Rocky Mountain Front, Chouteau and Fergus Counties, Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena National Forest, Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest Areas, Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest. West and southwest winds of 15-20 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Humidity values will drop to less than 20 percent.

The following was sent out by the U.S. Forest Service:

The Bear Creek Fire was reported at approximately 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11 in the Lemhi Pass area on the Dillon Ranger District of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

The fire size increased to approximately 1,500 acres this morning from the approximate 200 acres last evening.

Fire officials report that it burned actively through the night due to low RH factors, which also limited humidity recovery for fuels.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. An area closure will be done for public and firefighter safety, the first priority of fire management officials.

Weather predictions show continued Red Flag Warning conditions including high winds, low humidity and a significant amount of dry fuels.

The Red Flag Warning weather is predicted to persist through today.

Resources on scene remain the same, with an addition of helicopters to two Type 1, two Type 2, and one Type 3 helicopters.

Resources on site include: three Type 1 Crews; one Type 2 Crews; a Type 2 Initial Attack Crew; six Type 6 Engines; 1 tactical Water Tender.

The Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) arrives today with an in-briefing planned at noon, following which the Type 2 Team will shadow current fire officials.

At 6 a.m. tomorrow, August 13, the Type 2 team will assume control of the fire.

Smoke was laying in valleys early this morning, but will begin to “kick up” throughout the day.

Smoke is visible over a large area, including Dillon, communities of the Big Hole Valley, Tendoy, Lemhi Valley, and the area surrounding Salmon, Idaho.