Crooked Creek

Location: 25 miles east of Bridger, Montana        

Incident Command: Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3 – Mike Almas, Incident Commander

Size: 4,141 acres                               Containment: 72%                              Personnel: 152

Happy 4th of July!  Remember, fireworks are not permitted on any public lands!  Hot and dry weather make for favorable fire conditions, so please be extra careful as you recreate today.

Overview: The Crooked Creek Fire is located near the southern border of the Crow Indian Reservation in the Pryor Mountains on the Custer Gallatin National Forest.  

Yesterday, crews patrolled and cleaned up existing fire line.  They scouted for hot spots or areas where heat was still evident and worked to secure them. The fire received 1” of afternoon precipitation in the form of rain and hail. Resource not needed for patrolling the fireline were staged for initial attack.

Today, the northern half of the fire has secure fireline with just a small area on the eastern side needing additional work. The southern fire perimeter is also secure except for a section of the southwest line where burnout operations did not consume all available fuel.  Crews are working to clean up that edge.

Closures: All Custer Gallatin National Forest lands northeast of Forest Road 2308, and north of a line from Crooked Creek east to the Forest boundary, just north of the Big Ice Cave picnic area is closed under the current Forest Closure Order and is inaccessible. The Big Ice Cave picnic area is closed.

Weather and Fuel Conditions: Temperatures were moderated by thunderstorm activity and rain.  Thunderstorms are predicted beginning around 3:00 p.m. today which could produce heavy rain and wind gusts.  Increased fire behavior could occur due to outflow winds as cells dissipate.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): A TFR is in place for air space over the Crooked Creek Fire (FDC 1/7699) to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operating in the area. Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. If you fly, we can’t!

Primary and Cooperating Agencies: USFS, BLM, BIA-Crow Agency, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, DES, Bighorn County Sheriff’s Office, NPS-Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

• Crooked Creek Fire Fact Sheet - July 4, 2021 (pdf 185 kb)