Update for 8/10/2022:
Crews working on the Elmo Fire managed to strengthen fire lines, reaching about 60% containment on Thursday. The fire remains at 21,348 acres; no fire growth was reported as of Wednesday morning. Lake County and the Flathead Indian Reservation Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes remain under stage 1 fire restrictions.
The Lake Mary Ronan State Park and Elmo FAS are now open. Evacuation orders are still implemented for Camp Tuffit and North Shore Road and are closed to all traffic. All of Lake Mary Ronan Road is open with a reduced speed of 35 mph. Preevactuation orders were lifted for Chief Cliff Lane, Black Lake Road, Big Meadows Road, and Dayton Creek Road. Today, fire crews will work to reduce other hazards by digging out roots, finding ashpits, and cutting dead trees. Mop-ups will happen to extinguish other hot areas with hose lays.
The Indian Ridge Fire, discovered on Jul. 7, has burned 2,400 acres of land. The fire is two miles east of the Indian Creek Campground and Paradise Road, burning on the Montana and Idaho border. No evacuations or closures are put in place yet but may be expected by the end of the week.
The Hog Trough Fire is now 50% contained, and a little over 820 acres of land has burned. There is minimal growth of the fire. Widespread thunderstorms are possible in the area today, with two-tenths of rain expected. Wind gusts could potentially increase fire activity, with most of the activity on the southern corner of the fire.
The Matt Staff Rd Fire is now 100% contained and remained at about 1,500 acres. No current updates on the Clover Fire.
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While weekend moisture helped with several fires in Montana, fire activity was still present.
Another fire started in the Flathead Agency, the Redhorn Fire, and was caused by a lightning strike. The fire is northeast of St. Ignatius, Montana, and has burned 343 acres since late Sunday morning. The fire has not been contained as of Monday morning.
The Redhorn Fire is also located inside the Grizzly Bear Management zone in the Tribal Mission Mountain Wildnerness. No structures are threatened, and no evacuations have started, but recreation near the grizzly bear habitat is prohibited until October 1. Crews are constructing fuel breaks, and helicopters are doing water drops throughout the day
The Elmo Fire is over 21,000 acres and is partially contained. Crews are planning to strengthen containment lines with help from hot shot crews, helicopters, and ground crews. Over 600 personnel are working on this wildfire. Fuels igniting the fire are timber and tall and short grass. A public meeting to discuss the fire is scheduled for Monday, August 8, at the Elmo Pow Wow Grounds.
Speed limits on Mary Ronan Roads have been reduced to 35 miles per hour. Several evacuations have been lifted but remain under pre-evacuation warning. St. Mary Ronan State Park and the Elmo Fishing Access boat ramp are still closed. The Elmo fire is expected to be contained by August 20.
The Weasel Fire started on July 30 northeast of Eureka, caused by a lightning strike. The fire has burned over 1,000 acres of land, burning heavy fuels in rugged terrain. The Wesel Fire has also burned over about the same acreage in Canada. Containment of the fire is expected to happen on September 30.
The Matt Staff Road Fire outside Helena has burned about 1,500 acres of land and has been more than 80% contained since Monday morning. The fire is expected to be contained by Tuesday evening. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Clover Fire is at 1,099 acres and is over 30% contained. Precipitation over the weekend helped keep fire activity moderate. Monsoon moisture is expected to cause humidity on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as an increase in possible thunderstorm activity. The Hog Trough Fire is nearly 800 acres and is 41% contained. Crews and heavy equipment helped to remove trees along 5071 Road, which helped suppress the fire.
Click here to view closures and evacuations from all regional wildfires.