Wildfires in Blaine County currently under control
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Two wildfires have raised concerns with locals in the southwestern part of the county. While each fire had its own unique conditions, the most recent fire was on Lloyd Road south off Bose Road. That fire began late this past Saturday afternoon but was quickly extinguished. Local fire resources are still involved with monitoring the East Fork Fire, which, according to a dispatch on Sunday afternoon, is currently under control.
The fire on Lloyd Road
A spokesperson for Chinook-area firefighters said that fire was reported about 4pm on Saturday (9-9) afternoon. The fire did not have a name and was in an area with no immediate threat to structures. About 15 fire trucks were dispatched to the area and the fire was stopped sometime shortly after 5pm. The spokesperson said, “We had trucks from all over the area that responded to the dispatch. Firefighters know the key to avoiding a major fire is to control a small one as soon as possible.”
Fire Chief Kraig Hansen added, “The fire had a lot of hot spots and we wanted to make sure it was contained. We had Chinook resources, Blaine County fire trucks, Harlem trucks as well as the trucks that are a part of the rural protection system and equipment that farmers and ranchers put together.” The fire burned about 38 acres.
The East Fork Fire in the
Beaver Creek area
In a Saturday (9-9) afternoon status report, East Fork Fire Incident Commander Don Pyrah noted a “slop-over” (a fire edge that crosses a control line or natural barrier intended to contain the fire) near Sucker Creek Road and Clear Creek Road on Friday afternoon. That incident involved about 300 acres. Engine personnel and other fire resources remained in the area to strengthen the line around the slop-over. Critical fire conditions, including a red flag warning, suggested possible problems over the weekend.
On Sunday, Incident Commander Pyrah issued an update at 5pm about the fire. He noted with more up to date mapping the affected now totaled 21,896 acres. Pyrah’s update on Sunday noted, “Minimal fire activity has been observed today. Containment lines have been holding today in spite of the red flag conditions (term to describe imminent or critical weather pattern) which remain in the forecast for tomorrow (Monday, 9-11) as well.” There is a forecast for a ‘cooler, wetter pattern’ for the area and Pyrah was hopeful that weather pattern would in fact develop. There are currently 150 personnel assigned to the fire with additional resources on order for the East Fork Fire.
