October 19, 2021
Firefighters are actively responding to the Plant Creek Fire located 11 miles up the Miller Creek Road southeast of Missoula, and ¼ mile up the Plant Creek drainage on the west side of Plant Creek Road on the Missoula Ranger District. The wildfire was reported at 2:24 p.m. on Oct. 18 and multiple engines from the Forest Service, MT DNRC, Missoula Fire, and Missoula Rural Fire Department responded.
The fire is burning in grass, brush, and timber and grew overnight from 12 to 40 acres. The west flank of the fire is burning actively, and firefighters expect active fire behavior today with predicted warm, dry, and breezy conditions. Today, firefighters will focus on establishing containment line around the eastern and southern flanks of the fire, north of Miller Creek Road.
Structures are located within ¼ mile of the fire to the south and these structures are considered threatened; however, there are no evacuations currently. Today, managers will temporarily close Plant Creek Road due to the increased firefighting traffic.
“This late-season wildfire is evidence that fires can still start and spread rapidly even in mid-October,” stated Jen Hensiek, Missoula District Ranger. “We thank our partners for the coordinated interagency response as we continue to suppress this fire and we urge all to use caution and recreate responsibly.”
Smoke may be visible from Missoula, the Missoula Valley, parts of I-90, Highway 93, parts of the Bitterroot Valley, and the Miller Creek area. Firefighters are expecting cool, wet conditions toward the end of this week which will aid in ongoing suppression efforts.
Please drive with caution on the Miller Creek Road to give firefighters the space and time to safely address this wildfire. For continued information please follow the Lolo National Forest on Facebook or Twitter.
Plant Creek Fire Statistics:
- Start Date: Oct. 18, 2021
- Size: 40 acres
- Cause: Under investigation
- Personnel: 60
- Closures: Plant Creek Road is temporarily closed due to fire traffic; managers will evaluate the need for the closure throughout the week.
- Location: 11 miles up the Miller Creek Road located southeast of Missoula, ¼ mile up the Plant Creek drainage on the west side of Plant Creek Road.