InciWeb
Wildfire
Prescribed Fire
Burned Area
Response
Other
On Thursday, September 1, 2022, ground and air resources responded to a lightning caused wildfire 21 miles west of Kalispell, Montana, near the community of Marion burning in heavy timber. The fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy, and fire managers have looked for opportunities to go direct where possible.
The Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3 has managed the fire since September 5. On Wednesday, September 14, a Tally Lakes Ranger District Type 4 organization assumed command of the fire at 7:00 am.
| Current as of | Fri, 09/23/2022 - 13:05 |
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| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | |
| Location | Approx. 21 Miles west of Kalispell, MT near the community of Marion |
| Incident Commander | Tony Kazmierczak / Tristan Friebus(t) |
| Incident Description | Wildfire in Timber |
| Coordinates |
48° 14' 18'' Latitude
-114° 47' 44
'' Longitude
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| Total Personnel: | 54 |
|---|---|
| Size | 668 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 90% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 2022-10-01 08:00:00 |
| Fuels Involved | Closed timber with understory and litter. Light logging slash. Fuel models 8, 10, 11: Fuel Model 10 is the dominant fuel type representing the majority of the fuel models. Heavy dead and down material is the primary carrier for the fire, with pockets of heavy spruce/sub-alpine fir understory creating areas of dense ladder fuels. This, compounded with heavy dead and down fuels leads to long residual burning times, large amounts of spot fires, and short-range spotting. Fuels continuity is broken up by plantations in a variety of age classes from less than 5 years to less than 40 years. These plantations reduce fire behavior due to a lack of dead and down fuels. |
| Significant Events | Minimal fire behavior consisting of creeping, smoldering and backing. |
| Planned Actions |
Remaining resources will continue to patrol, monitor and address hotspots as needed. Saw line is completed, and snagging operations will continue. |
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| Projected Incident Activity |
12 hours: Isolated pockets of intense heat still exist in the Div Z and Div T areas of the fire. These areas pose the greatest chances of torching trees and spotting. Div Z has the most receptive band of fuels on the west facing slope below the primary ridge in cured grass beneath a timber overstory. 24 hours: Increased cloud cover and slight increase of relative humidity will moderate fire behavior. Expect primarily smoldering and creeping in pockets of heavy dead and down still holding fire. Slight chance for a few single trees to torch. Spot fires are still possible with torching and unfavorable winds. 48 hours: Continued cooling and rain in the forecast will increase RH and further reduce fire behavior to nearly entirely smoldering and creeping as fuels burn out. |
| Weather Concerns | Cloudy and rainy weather will continue. Rainfall will taper off tonight west of Highway 93. As a result of the wet weather, patchy fog will be able to form along low-lying areas Friday morning. Gusty winds of about 30 mph will affect ridge top sites on Friday. High pressure will build later on Friday and last well into next week, resulting in above-normal temperatures and light winds. |
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