Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Lightning sparks fire near Delmoe Lake

Lighting was the cause of the McClusky Fire that started August 16 approximately three miles northeast of Delmoe Lake and 13 miles northwest of Whitehall.

The fire is burning in lodgepole pine in steep, rugged, inaccessible terrain with high concentrations of standing dead trees and logs on the ground. This poses an excessive safety risk to firefighters. As of press deadline Tuesday afternoon, the fire is estimated to be 70 acres in size and is 0 percent contained.

Additional resources arrived Tuesday that include two Type 1 hotshot crews and one type 2 hand crew. A total of 87 personnel and one Type 2 helicopter are currently assigned to the fire.

Firefighter and public safety is the number one priority. On Tuesday, firefighters scouted, locating areas within or near the fire's perimeter where they can safely engage the fire with the highest probability of success. Escape routes will be established should the fire grow quickly. They will continue to develop a structure protection plan for 14 structures in the Gillespie Basin area, east of the fire. Firefighters will be working along Forest Service Road 173 where they will be creating a fuel break. Helicopters will be utilized to drop water to slow fire's spread and minimize firefighter exposure to falling snags.

The current Type 4 Incident Management organization transitioned to a Type 3 Wednesday at 6 a.m.

Due to weather and fire activity, visitors may see smoke from locations on or adjacent to National Forest System lands.

Fire Weather Forecast: A ridge of high pressure continues to be the dominant feature over the Northern Rockies for the next 48 hours. Temperatures will warm a few degrees each day with lowering humidity readings. Thermal belts will be quite strong each night with little recovery in the higher terrain.

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire. Unauthorized use of manned and unmanned aircraft (also known as "drones") in a fire area endangers the lives of pilots and firefighters and is strictly forbidden. Never fly unmanned aircraft over or near a wildfire whether there is a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) in effect or not. If you fly, we can't. Visit https://www.nifc.gov/drones and Know Before You Go for more information on drones and wildfires.

Fire restrictions are not in effect on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, however, visitors are reminded to be careful while recreating in the forest. Be sure to extinguish campfires completely; if it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave. Keep all motorized vehicles on roads and trails. Keep informed of other area restrictions by going online to https://firerestrictions.us.

For more fire information visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6524/.

 

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