On Monday, the Cabin Creek Fire, 12 miles southeast of Dillon, was listed at 60 percent contained, with 900 acres burning – down from 1,400 acres on Saturday.
Advertisement
Right now the largest single fire in the Northern Rockies region is the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park, which has burned through 13,000 acres. The fire has resulted in the closure of numerous backcountry trails and campgrounds. Kaiser said that fire was poised to cross into Kootenai Forest territory.
A dozen trail closures are in place in the Rocky Mountain Ranger District and four on the Spotted Bear Ranger District in Flathead National Forest. The fire has not made any moves east toward the divide so far.
Also in Glacier, a 25-acre fire on the west shore of Waterton Lake got quick attention from Canadian firefighters, including a Type 2 firefighting team assisted by a helicopter. The fire remained at its 25-acre size over the weekend, and is being managed by a combination of resources from the United States and Canada.
Munoz said travelers should double-check whether trails are still open. John Thompson’s Type 2 team is now in charge of the fire, with about 50 other firefighting personnel. The Spotted Eagle fire in that complex went from a half-acre on Aug. 12 to 460 acres on Aug. 14 after a series of thunderstorms rolled over the area.
Three fires in the Family Complex fire in the south Badger-Two Medicine totaled 710 acres as of Monday.
The fire is threatening buildings on private land in the Upper Willow Creek and Rock Creek drainages, and could reach livestock and hay fields. According to the daily wildfire update issued Sunday by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Stage II fire restrictions are in effect within Coeur d’Alene and Grangeville Dispatch Restriction areas as fires are starting and spreading rapidly, quickly increasing in intensity and are extremely difficult to control.
Advertisement
Fire officials are having to pick and choose which fires to focus on. The lightning-started fires in the complex are currently at 15 percent contained, and the cost of fighting those fires has exceeded $4 million.
