By Michael Howell
The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order on Sunday, August 13, for the Hwy 12 corridor from mile marker 20 at Bear Creek to Fort Fizzle, on both the north and south sides of Hwy 12.
One hundred and sixty homeowners were contacted and told to evacuate. Evacuees were asked to stop at Roper’s Lounge at 10565 US Highway 12, Lolo to check in with Sheriff’s Deputies. The Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Florence Carlton Community Church at 20075 Old US Highway 93. For animal sheltering people are asked to call Animal Control at 541-7387 and leave a message. Phone Information: Fire: 406-272-5433 Evacuation: 406-258-4636
The fire was extremely active Sunday morning following strong outflow winds from thunderstorms Saturday night and into the morning, which pushed the fire to the north and east into Tevis and Mill Creek drainages. The fire behavior and movement with predicted strong west winds Sunday afternoon, and potential for rapid fire spread down to the valley floor, prompted fire officials and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office to evacuate both sides of US Highway 12 between Bear Creek and Fort Fizzle. The fire did not cross primary containment lines. The fire also expanded on the west side, dropping further into Johnny Creek and Dick Creek. Crews continued monitoring the fire perimeter while maintaining pumps, hoses and sprinklers to ensure they will be ready to protect homes and reinforce the fire line, if needed.
On Monday, firefighters took advantage of the break in weather to begin burnout operations to remove fire alignment with wind, terrain and fuel to slowly bring fire down to containment lines. Burnout operations involve carefully introducing fire in unburned areas between the active fire perimeter and containment lines to consume fuel next to the containment line, fighting fire with fire, to slow the advance of the fire front.
Evacuations will remain in place because of the fire proximity to homes and the very real potential to become very active over the next couple of days with a forecast of continued windy conditions. Evacuations and road closures are based upon the safety of the public and firefighters, current fire behavior, forecasted weather, and planned suppression operation. Fire officials, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, and Montana Department of Transportation will evaluate the evacuation and road closures on a daily basis. The Incident Commander, Missoula Rural Fire Chief, and the Missoula County Sheriff have said they appreciate the patience of affected residents and will work hard to get them back into their homes as soon and as safely possible.
Law enforcement and fire department cooperators on the Lolo Peak Fire entered Unified Command Sunday morning following significant fire spread overnight Saturday and extreme fire weather predictions for Sunday.
As of Monday morning the total acreage burned in the Lolo Peak Fire had reached over 10,000 acres.
In other fires news, the lightning-caused Sapphire Complex Fire, located east of the Bitterroot Valley in the Rock Creek drainage, has burned over 30,034 acres and on Monday was declared to be 42% contained. Pearson’s Type II IMT is managing the Sapphire Complex which includes the Little Hogback, Goat Creek and Sliderock Fires. The Little Hogback Fire has burned 21,100 acres and is 16% contained. The Goat Creek Fire has burned over 8,066 acres and is 86% contained. The Sliderock Fire has burned over 868 acres and is 30% contained.
Private property and structures in the Rock Creek and Upper Willow Creek drainage remain threatened. Other resources threatened include a Bonneville Power Administration powerline and a communication site.
The Granite County Sheriff issued the following evacuation orders for the Sapphire Complex: Red Evacuation Order (mandatory evacuation) from Hogback Homestead south to Stony Creek and the Sliderock Mountain area; Yellow Evacuation Orders (pre-evacuation) for the northern portion of Rock Creek drainage from approximately Babcock Creek south to Bobcat Creek, from Butte Cabin south to Hogback Homestead, from Stony Creek south to the Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge, and from the Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge north to McDermott Gulch in the Upper Willow Creek. Closures: The Rock Creek Road from I-90 south to Harry’s Flat (MP 17.5) reopened last Wednesday. The Rock Creek Road IS CLOSED from Harrys Flat south to Kyle G. Bohrnsen Memorial Bridge, and non-fire traffic is not allowed. Upper Willow Creek Road is closed to the public. All other closures remain the same. The Lolo National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management have issued closure orders. Closure orders and maps can be found under the closures tab on inciweb.
For information on specific fire restrictions, visit firerestrictions.us.