Trail Creek Fire

Unit Information

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
420 Barrett St
Dillon, MT 59725

Incident Contacts

Alder Creek andTrail Creek Fire Information
Email: 2021.AlderCreek@firenet.gov
Phone: 406-624-9452
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Wisdom Ranger District
Phone: 406-689-3243
Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

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Highlighted Activity

09/22/2021 Alder Creek, Trail Creek and Sand Lake Fire Update 09.22.21

ALDER CREEK/CHRISTENSEN, TRAIL CREEK & SAND LAKE FIRES September 22,2021 – 8:30 a. m. The Trail Creek, Alder Creek, and Sand Lake Fire Open House is scheduled for Wednesday,...

News - 09/22/2021

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The Trail Creek Fire started on July 8, 2021 approximately 20 miles West of Wisdom, Montana, as the result of lightning. The fire terrain is made up of forest timber with 2 feet high underbrush and heavy fuel loads of dead and down lodgepole pine. Fire crews are constructing indirect containment lines, while providing structure protection on existing cabins and sites at the National Park Service Big Hole Battlefield.

The fire is being managed by the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team #6, Incident Commander Jay Winfield.

Forest Closure orders are in effect for the area. Please see Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and Salmon-Challis National Forest for most up to date information on closures.

For information on the up evacuation status and preparation level please contact Lemhi County Sheriff Info: 208-756-8980.

Basic Information

Current as of
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Thursday July 08th, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Location	20 miles West of Wisdom, MT on HWY 43
Incident Commander	Jay Winfield, Northern Rockies Team #6
Coordinates	45.683 latitude, -113.854 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	454
Size	56,430 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	50%
Estimated Containment Date	Wednesday December 01st, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Timber (Litter and Understory) Brush (2 feet)
Significant Events	Head Fire, flanking/backing with group-tree torching and potential long range spotting to the east north east from within Nez Perce Creek. Spotting distances up to 1 mile. Flanking fire spreading uphill to the west north west in May Creek.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Assess impact of precipitation on fire and leverage moisture to keep fire South of Tie Creek and West of private property along Foothills Road and to suppress heat along containment lines. Continue to mop-up and secure fire edge along Road 079 and in the Nez Perce area.
Projected Incident Activity	After a cool start to the day, there will be a gradual warming, drying trend that could produce some fire activity.
Remarks	Fire managers have updated their assessment of accomplishments on the fires, listing percent completion or objectives, rather than percent containment. Percent completion of objectives more accurately captures and reports the specific amount of work accomplished on the ground to manage fire spread and reduce the negative impacts to communities, infrastructure, and other identified values.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	A significantly cooler day, with increased humidity levels and cloud cover was observed today across the fires. Highs only climbed into the mid to upper 40s, with a few spots close to 50 degrees. After a few morning showers, relative humidity values remained mainly around 50 percent throughout the day. Additional showers, both snow and rain, impacted the area today, and are expected to linger into tonight. Rain accumulation remained less than 0.10''. Monday will feature another cooler day, with highs around 50 and lingering gusty west to northwest winds. Relative humidity values will drop lower, down into the 35 to 45 percent range, with increasing sunshine late in the day. A few scattered showers may impact southwest Montana, but wetting rains are not expected. Another dry cold front arrives, bringing an uptick in winds, warmer and drier conditions by mid-week.