Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

State Creek Fire currently at 2,345 acres

As of Tuesday afternoon, the State Creek Fire 16 miles northeast of Whitehall and two miles northeast of the Whitetail Reservoir was reported at 2,354 acres with zero percent containment.

The fire was caused by lightning August 25 and went undetected until August 29. The fire is located on the Butte Ranger District and currently is in an area difficult for firefighters to access due to rough terrain, numerous snags, and a significant amount of dead and down trees.

There are a total of 70 personnel on the fire that include 1 Type 2 Crew from Oregon 1 (10 Person) Crew for the Kootenai National Forest, 1 (9 Person) Smokejumper Module from West Yellowstone, 1 Water Tender, 1 Type 3 Engine from Jefferson County and 3 Forest Service Type 6 Engines.

On Monday, a cold front brought lower temperatures and some moisture to the fire. Crews patrolled the indirect lines around the fire and re-enforced them as necessary.

On Tuesday, fire behavior was expected to be low after Monday's moisture, low temperatures, and high humidity.

Last week, Bureau of Land Management's Butte Field Office has issued an Emergency Closure Order temporarily restricting camping, day use, road access and hunting in the Little Whitetail and Hay Canyon areas in Jefferson County due to the State Creek Fire.

The BLM closure is in coordination with other orders issued by the U.S. Forest Service regarding the State Creek Fire, 16 miles northeast of Whitehall.

The BLM order prohibits access to the area to ensure public safety and avoid conflict with the ongoing fire suppression activity in the area.

Updated information on the fire is available online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7142/

 

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