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Alder Creek, Trail Creek and Sand Lake Fire Update 10.06.21

Trail Creek Fire Wildfire
News – 10/6/2021

ALDER CREEK/CHRISTENSEN, TRAIL CREEK & SAND LAKE FIRES

OCTOBER 6, 2021

Public Information Line: 406-624-9452 (8 am to 8 pm) | Email: 2021.AlderCreek@firenet.gov

Facebook: @AlderCreekandTrailCreekFires

Alder Creek: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7641/  | Trail Creek: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7634/

Sand Lake: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7833/
 

Total Personnel: 357

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The current Northern Rockies Type 2 team will begin transitioning to a local Type 3 team over the next few days. The new team will shadow on Thursday and take control of the fire on Friday at 6:00 a.m. Hunters, please watch for fire personnel. There may be firefighters designated as lookouts working outside the closure areas. Don’t mistake them for the game you are hunting! Please obey all closure signs. Law enforcement is patrolling the closure areas.

TRAIL CREEK FIRE | Start Date: July 8, 2021 | Cause: Lightning | 61,992 acres | 69% complete: Overall, the Trail Creek Fire is quieting down, with less smoke and fire activity. May Creek continues to burn out, and fire in Smithy Creek is burning back into itself. Helicopters continue with water drops at the head of Nugget Creek to slowly bring it into the creek bottom. Longer nights and shorter burn periods are helping keep the fire in check. Crews continue to monitor the Morgan Jones Lake area and Nez Perce Creek. Suppression repair continues around all sides of the fire.

ALDER CREEK FIRE | Start Date: July 8, 2021 | Cause: Lightning | 36,968 acres | 45% complete: On Tuesday, firefighters worked on a 10-acre slop over in the head of Sawlog Creek. They were able to get in and anchor it, utilizing helicopter support to keep the fire in check. Firefighters have a good handle on it and conditions are favorable today. Some heat remains in Tucker Creek, but crews are using helicopter water drops to keep the humidity’s up until the weather changes. Crews are monitoring Calvert Creek and doing suppression repair around the northwest and southwest sides of the Sawlog area. Suppression repair work is complete on the northeast perimeter. On the southern perimeter, little smoke was observed yesterday and is looking good.

SAND LAKE FIRE | Start Date: September 1, 2021 | Cause: Unknown | 228 acres: Fire growth and activity on the Sand Lake Fire has been minimal and is being monitored by air. Despite the critical fire weather conditions Monday and Tuesday, no activity was observed.

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR: Another breezy day is in store, with humidity values on the rise. Temperatures will be in the mid-50’s to 60’s, with humidity’s in the upper-20’s to 30’s, and winds 7-13 mph with 20-25 mph gusts. Fire activity should be low. An unsettled weather pattern and cold front will move in starting this afternoon, and some precipitation is expected over the next several days.

EVACUATIONS & SAFETY:  The Lemhi County Sheriff has lifted all stages of evacuations for Gibbonsville, Idaho. The Beaverhead County Sheriff has lifted all stages of evacuations in the Alder Creek Fire area. U.S. Route 93, Highway 43 (Chief Joseph Pass to Wise River), and the Pioneer Scenic Byway are open to through traffic. Please be careful of fire crews working in these areas.

CLOSURES:

  • The Big Hole National Battlefield visitor center has reopened.The lower parking lot, trails, and picnic area remain closed for public safety and resource protection.
  • Gibbonsville Road is closed at FS Road 944 (Big Moosehorn Creek Road) coming from the east, all the way to Dahlonega. Big Hole Pass is also closed.
  • Portions of the Continental Divide Trail remain closed. 
  • May Creek Campground and Steel Creek Campground are closed.
  • Closure orders remain in effect on the Salmon-Challis National Forest (www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices), the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices), and the Bureau of Land Management.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Public lands in southwest Montana and central Idaho are in varying stages of fire restrictions. Check www.mtfireinfo.org and www.idahofireinfo.com for the latest information.

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