Blodgett/Mill Lake Fire update

September 16, 2022

Doug Turman, Incident Commander

Start Date: 8/29/2022

Cause: Lightning

Total Personnel: 140 Engines: 2; Helicopters: 2; Crews: 6; Heavy Equipment: 6

Fire Name Acreage (estimated):

Blodgett Lake 2185 acres

Mill Lake 1608 acres

Big Creek 265 acres

Bear Creek 153 acres

Kootenai Creek: 0.5 acres

Summary:

Northern Rockies Team One has responsibility for the five fires listed above. Today, crews will scout the area, continue with line preparation, and fire managers will work on a long-term plan for this incident. This planning effort will include fuel removal and alternate line locations between Blodgett and Kootenai canyons.

Recent winds improved air quality and allowed the use of aviation resources for aerial reconnaissance. These, flights revealed that the fires have not grown eastward down the canyons since Monday, September 12.

Today, roads and trails will be prepped as a control line to keep the fire west of road #430. Crews continued constructing a thirty-foot-wide shaded fuel break on the west side of Sheafman Road (FS-438) from Cow Creek trailhead to Sheafman trailhead. Firefighters will build a hand line from the south end of road #1327 to the rock cliff face above Fred Burr Creek. Crews will continue work on indirect control lines along the Forest Service-Private Property boundary from Mill Creek south to Blodgett Canyon, utilizing heavy equipment. Firefighters will continue to scout for strategic line locations and control features that could slow the fire’s spread east towards private and DNRC lands. A structure protection group will coordinate with Fire Departments to scout structures adjacent to Forest Service land east of Big Creek, Bear Lake, and Blodgett Lake fires.

The Blodgett Fire is now estimated at 2185 acres. The fire has crossed Blodgett Creek along the east flank and is smoldering in down and dead fuels. Recent moisture and cooler temperatures should result in limited fire behavior today.

The Forest has implemented additional trail closures across the fire area. Refer to the Bitterroot National Forest website for details https://www.fs.usda.gov/bitterroot

Weather:

Expect cooler conditions today with a slight chance of chance of showers this afternoon. West winds of 10 mph at around 3:00 p.m. will improve the smoke conditions.

InciWeb: Mill Lake Fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8392/

Bitterroot National Forest Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/bitterroot

Air Quality: https://fire.airnow.gov/