Fire crews are working to contain a 2,461-acre wildfire burning nine miles north of Clark Fork, Idaho, near the Montana state line. The blaze, sparked by lightning on July 30, is 10% contained. The Northern Rockies Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Shane Martin, is overseeing 157 personnel on the fire. The Lightning Creek Fire is burning through heavy dead and down fuels left from the 2018 Cougar Fire, including large fallen trees, branches, and dense underbrush that remain highly flammable even after rain.
Officials say fire behavior has been minimal, creeping under thick brush and smoldering in duff, branches, and logs within unburned areas inside the fireโs edge. Crews are working to prepare and maintain Forest Service Road 419 from East Fork Creek north to the Moose Lake Warming Hut, using heavy equipment, felling modules, ground crews, and engines. Aircraft may also be used, if available, to slow fire spread along ridges. Warm, dry weather is expected to continue, with wind gusts up to 30 mph on Wednesday. Officials warn the conditions could dry fuels further and increase fire activity.
