Wildfire

The George Lake Fire was detected on September 6th, 2022. It is burning on the bottom of the slope at the northeast end of George Lake, located in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. As of 9/12/2022, the fire was 625 acres; heavy wide-spread smoke across the area affected the temperature and amount of solar radiation reaching the fire. As of 10/04/2022, no significant observable growth has been detected. The Spotted Bear Ranger District will continue to monitor the fire with reconnaissance and Infrared (IR) Mapping flights as resources allow. Due to the rocky terrain and lack of available fuels, no other actions are planned at this time. A point protection strategy will be implemented to protect values at risk should conditions change. An official closure order has been posted effective 9/9/2022. As of 10/04/2022, no additional updates will be made regarding the George Lake Fire unless significant new activity is

The No Grass Creek fire is located in Powell County on the west end of the Helena Ranger District and far east end of the Pintler Ranger District. The fire was initially reported on Sunday, September 11, 2022. The No Grass Creek fire is in an area that has experienced large amounts of tree mortality. The fuel loading is dense and continuous throughout the Electric Peak inventoried roadless area and recommended wilderness area, and because of the current state of the dead timber, it’s neither safe nor effective to put fire personnel into the area. Fire personnel are managing from the air, while other firefighters are observing the fire’s progression, activity and overall behavior from various vantage points on the two districts. Additional fire resources are completing contingency planning and structure assessment on private lands. Due to the remote location, no homes or private property are threatened by the fire, which provides an opportunity to responsibly allow fire to...

In order to reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire, improve forest health and wildlife habitat, the Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office has planned a prescribed fire treatment for up to 652 acres on Animas City Mountain in Durango, Colorado. Dependent on weather and the availability of firefighters to conduct the operation, the prescribed burns could take place in spring and fall months. An Environmental Assessment which covers this, as well as other treatment areas in La Plata County, has been completed and is available here: Final Environmental Assessment. Prescribed fires require a comprehensive plan consisting of 21 elements. The plan outlines the methodical process from inception to completion. The Animas City Mountain project is expected to take 2-3 days for ignitions, with additional time to patrol the area and extinguish hot spots. The mountain has been divided into seven units or compartments. Crews are expected to begin burning on the top of the mountain...

The Umatilla National Forest prescribed fire page contains information on the Forest's planned, active and completed prescribed burning for 2022. In general, there are two burn seasons each year to accomplish prescribed fire projects. Early season burns typically occur in late winter through the early fire season in late spring/early summer. Late season burns typically occur in late fire season and into December. The specific dates of a burn during a season is dependent on many variables including wildfire activity, resource availability, current and predicted weather, and smoke management constraints. Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation. NEW! Prescribed Fire Activity Interactive Map (This interactive map will be best...

 Brief update on October 5, 2022:   We successfully completed a crew swap by shuttling out four smokejumpers and inserting five Entiat Initial Attack crew members who will be located at the Pasayten Airport cabin and be available for taking action if necessary in protecting the cabin.All of the fires in the NW Pasayten Complex continue to burn with the most activity coming from the Parks and Kid Fire, especially where they have joined together. Monument 83 Lookout and repeater appear to be in good shape with no flames in the immediate vicinity.  Light to moderate fire activity is occurring on the Skagit, Elbow, and Three Fools fires. The Shull Fire has minimal activity and the smoke is isolated to one corner of the fire.

The Bureau of Land Management Southwest District plans to conduct several prescribed burns beginning early October or as conditions allow. The prescribed burn projects will be on the Gunnison, Tres Rios and Uncompahgre Field Offices. The planned burns are part of larger projects to reduce hazardous fuels; protect wildland-urban interface communities; improve big game habitat, sage grouse habitat, and range conditions; and reintroduce fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem to restore healthy forests and species diversity.  While no road closures are expected during the projects, camping near the units is discouraged due to increased traffic and likelihood of smoke in the area, particularly at night. Multiple days of burning may occur throughout the fall into the winter, as fuel conditions and weather permit. Project areas will be monitored once completed to ensure public safety. While smoke may be visible in the burn area at times, most of the smoke will lift and dissipate during the...

 The Summit Fire was ignited by lightning and discovered on the afternoon of August 3, 2022. It is located at an elevation of approximately 9,000 feet in southern Sequoia National Park. The fire received significant moisture and showed little to no growth until August 23. It then grew moderately through the first week of September. The fire is located in an area with recent fire history, including the 2020 Castle Fire. The fire does not currently threaten any people or infrastructure. However, fire managers decided that the best way to manage risk in this situation is to suppress the fire using an indirect strategy. This indirect strategy protected firefighter safety by allowing them to engage the fire from favorable terrain, took advantage of existing burn scars and natural features, and limited impacts to land managed as wilderness. Beginning September 8, low intensity backfires were ignited along trail systems, the edges of green meadows, and fire scars to strengthen these areas...

The Rock Rabbit fire is located in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness approximately 4.5 miles to the northeast of Big Creek. It is at 38.5 acres and is a result of lightning on August 22, 2022. No visible smoke has been noted on this fire for several days.  Fire managers continue to patrol the area.  There are no area or trail closures associated with this fire.  Structure protection has been removed from the Rock Rabbit Fire Lookout

The Payette National Forest will be conducting multiple prescribed fires this fall that may take place anytime from late September to early November when the right weather conditions exist to ensure the safety of the burns and to accomplish resource objectives.The decision to ignite a prescribed fire depends on favorable weather conditions and the need to reduce smoke effects as much as possible.  While smoke from prescribed fires is much less than that from a typical wildfire, if smoke concentrations approach air quality standards ignition will be delayed until air quality improves.  While smoke from prescribed fires usually dissipates within a few days, residual smoke may be visible for up to 2 weeks in some cases.Prescribed fire is an important forest management tool that helps us protect communities by reducing surface fuels, increasing the height of the tree canopy, reducing small tree densities, and promoting fire resilient tree species.The risk of high-severity wildfire fire...

The Horse fire located approximately 5½ miles northwest of Corn Creek on the North Fork Ranger District in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  It was reported on September 8, 2022, at 1306 MDT. The fire is burning in lodgepole, fir, and snags.  The fire is being managed under a point protection strategy.  Fire managers are assessing values at risk in the vicinity of the fire and are establishing management action points to trigger specified actions to protect those values. 

 The Owl Fire is 100% Contained.  The page will be updated if conditions

The lightning fire is located approximately four (4) miles northeast of the confluence of Big Creek and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness on the North Fork Ranger District. The fire is burning in spruce and fir is located in steep, rugged terrain.Risk to responders and public safety are the top priorities for the Wolf Fang Fire. Due to the inaccessibility of the terrain and snag hazards, a combination of the Middle Fork Peak lookout, a remote camera, and aviation are assessing the fire daily.

  Prescribed Burning Planned at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge COMMERCE CITY-Weather permitting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will be conducting prescribed burning activities on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge beginning Monday, October 10th. The FWS plans to burn up to 2,064 acres over 2 weeks. The burns will be conducted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Smoke will be visible for several miles from the perimeter of the Refuge and people in the area may smell smoke. The purpose of the burns is to reinvigorate the growth of native prairie vegetation, reduce accumulated litter, manage efforts for weed control and improve habitat to sustain wildlife. Prescribed burns are also an important tool land managers use to reduce the risk of wildfire in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Interagency fire crews from the FWS, local fire departments and other federal agencies will be participating in the prescribed burns. Safety is our number one priority...

THREE PHASES OF WILDFIRE RECOVERY   There are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands: -       Fire Suppression Repair -       Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) -       Long-Term Recovery and Restoration Fire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts. Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and...

The Solomon Fire was reported on Aug 24, 2022, and is burning southeast of Missoula, MT in the Welcome Creek Wilderness on the Missoula Ranger District. It is located approximately 6 miles south of Interstate 90/Rock Creek Exit #126, near Solomon Mountain in upper Solomon Creek, approximately 2 miles southwest of the Spring Creek Trailhead (Rock Creek recreation corridor). The fire is burning in a steep, thickly timbered bowl with snags, or hazard trees, making up about half of the standing fuel and is surrounded to the south, east, and west by the 2007 Sawmill Fire burned area. The terrain, fuel type, and the presence of snag trees, limit the ability to place firefighters directly on the fire. Firefighter safety is a top priority when assessing engagement on this fire. The Solomon Fire is being managed under a point protection strategy which means that highly valued resources (such as buildings, infrastructure, or recreational assets) are being strategically protected from the fire,...

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team has arrived in Westfir, Oregon to begin their assessment of the Cedar Creek Fire. The fire has covered 120,757 acres (to date) on the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests. The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for emergency response work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging event to meet program objectives:BAER Objectives:•  Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.•  If emergency conditions are...

The lighting-caused Windigo Fire started on July 30, 2022. This fire is now 100% contained and all area closures have been

THREE PHASES OF WILDFIRE RECOVERY   There are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands: -       Fire Suppression Repair -       Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) -       Long-Term Recovery and Restoration Fire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts. Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and...

THREE PHASES OF WILDFIRE RECOVERY   There are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands: -       Fire Suppression Repair -       Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) -       Long-Term Recovery and Restoration Fire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts. Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and...

The Bovee Fire was reported at 1:38 p.m. on October 2, and quickly spread up to 15 miles north, pushed through dry fuels by gusty south winds. Aggressive structure protection efforts by Forest Service and local firefighters successfully defended the historic Bessey Nursery and CCC Campground. Unfortunately, the lodge and camper cabins of the Nebraska 4H Camp were destroyed, along with the Scott Lookout Tower. The fire’s cause is under investigation.The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 was ordered and assumed command of the fire at 6 pm on October 3, 2022.  All evacuations have been lifted as of October 3.  With favorable weather conditions firefighters are working on direct fire line and furthering containment.  Daily Operations videos are being posted to the linked Bovee Fire YouTube