Resources trickle in as cooler temps, higher humidity are expected to 'moderate fire activity'

By Thursday the West Fork fire north of Libby had reached 16,840 acres in size, but for the first time there was a number — 10 percent — associated with its containment due to firefighter’s efforts in the lower Bobtail Road area, a fact sheet states.

Officials also had positive news to report in terms of the weather: cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity over the next few days were expected to “help moderate fire activity.”

As a result of the weather and the ever-shortening days of fall’s approach, “the fire season’s a slowly sinking ship right now,” Darren Clabo, a meteorologist with incident command, said at a Thursday morning briefing.

Extending the Titanic metaphor, Clabo said it would sink further with precipitation forecast for next week, though he noted that though precipitation is good for slowing a fire it also limits burnouts and other firefighting operations on the ground.

About 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page that the evacuation order for the upper Bobtail Road was lifted and the area placed under pre-evacuation notice. The area includes Bobtail Lane, Bobtail Meadow Road, Red Rose Ranch Road and Kentana Place.

Smokey skies on Wednesday and Thursday at times hampered the use of aviation in fighting the West Fork fire. On Wednesday, aircraft made six drops of retardant on a spot fire first discovered Sunday near Gold Hill, about six miles east of Loon Lake and outside the fire’s primary containment line. Officials say the sport fire is now 100 acres in size and inaccessible or unsafe for ground-based firefighting, and is not yet threatening structures or infrastructure.

In recent days, officials have noted the West Fork fire’s close approach to roads and structures in certain locations. To the north, the fire reached within 100 feet of a planned containment line in an area of 17 Mile Road on Wednesday and “burned down to the creek in a couple places” and near several structures, said Colby Crawford, an operations manager with incident command.

Crews Thursday would perform fuel-clearing burnout operations in the area if conditions allowed, he said, and a fact sheet reported that “additional resources have arrived to assist the structure protection group in assessing and providing structure protection measures where necessary.”

On the west edge of the fire, Crawford noted crews had put a dozer line around a private residence and were attempting burnout operations in various locations. An area toward the upper part of Forest Service Road 600 and Quartz Mountain Road remained closed to ground operations due to safety concerns including rolling boulders and falling trees and was being hit by water drops from helicopters when visibility was clear enough.

On Thursday, the plan was for crews to “patrol and secure firelines in the Quartz Creek and Lower Bobtail Road areas,” according to a fact sheet.

To the east of the West Fork fire, flames Wednesday reached within 200 to 300 yards of the containment line in certain parts, Crawford said.

“Crews (Thursday) will continue to prep as needed along logging roads from Bobtail to Pipe Creek,” a fact sheet states.

Personnel assigned to the West Fork fire had reached 284 by Thursday.

Officials reported higher fire activity in the Moose Peak fire to the south of Libby. Sized at 11,587 acres Thursday morning, it saw most of its activity Wednesday “on the far north side west of Miller Lake and the east side near Fishtrap Creek,” a fact sheet states.

“Helicopters performed numerous water drops (Wednesday) to help slow the growth,” the fact sheet states.

The Moose Peak fire faces mostly the same weather forecast as the West Fork fire, though morning temperatures “will be near freezing” in the coming days, according to the fact sheet.

“With the weather forecasted to be a little colder in that area in the next few days, a more direct attack in the northwestern part of the fire near Miller Lake Road may be possible,” the fact sheet states.

In addition, firefighters will construct dozer lines and cut heavy fuels to improve firebreaks and “structure protection and air operations will continue throughout the day, if flying conditions are favorable.”

Crawford noted at Thursday morning’s briefing that resources continue to arrive, including eight of 23 engines ordered. He said those eight engines would be split among structure protection, night operations and firefighting.

Personnel assigned to the Moose Peak fire had reached 95 by Thursday. Containment remained at zero percent, and pre-evacuation notices remained for East Fisher Road, Bayhorse Ranch and McGinnis Meadows.