Roads closed and evacuations in place to ensure public and firefighter safety in Tin Soldier Complex

UPDATE, AUG. 7:

An evacuation has been issued by the Flathead County Sheriff for Heinrude community.

And to provide for public and firefighter safety, the East Side South Fork Road #38 is closed to public travel and the West Side South Fork Road #895 is closed to public travel near the 15 mile just past the Lid Creek Campground.

The Tin Soldier fire is sitting at 2,580 acres and is currently 0% contained.

Current Acres burned as of the morning of Monday, August 7 th .

Fire activity Sunday was moderated between the 3 fires and an IR flight was done last night and found an increase of 212 acres with growth on all three fires.

Kah Mountain and Sullivan have been the most active out of the three.

While the lower temperatures and higher relative humidity's have lessened fire activity for the time being, potential for fire activity is still high.

The cooler weather we have been receiving is allowing firefighters to install additional structure protection around the values at place.

There is a potential for increased fire activity in the future as temperatures and winds increase.

The Bruce, Kah and Sullivan fires are being managed with point source protection to protect values at risk; values at risk include Stony Communications Site, hydro-electric plant, Heinrude residential community, commercial guest ranches and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

Fire personnel have conducted initial assessments and preparations for structure protection in the above identified areas.

We have the latest on fires burning in and around Montana.

UPDATE, AUG. 6:

Fire activity between the three fires part of the Tin Soldier Complex was low Saturday.

Updated acreage on the fire perimeters is expected to be updated later in the day on Sunday.

According to the Flathead National Forest, the Bruce, Kah and Sullivan fires are being managed with point source protection to protect values at risk.

Fire personnel are continuing structure protection efforts for the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

A safety zone has been established on the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

Crews will continue installing hose line and sprinkler systems around the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

Fire personnel are developing a structure plan for the Heinrude residential community.

The Heinrude community is still under evacuation.

The following restrictions and closures are in place:

Stage2 fire restrictions are in effect as of August 5th.

UPDATE, AUG. 5:

The three fires still burning in the Tin Soldier Complex include the Bruce Frie, the Kah Mtn Fire and Sullivan Fire.

There was no updated acreage provided as there was no infrared flight over the fires Friday night.

As of Saturday morning, the Heinrude community is still under evacuation by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

Stage 2 fire restrictions went into effect Saturday, restricting campfires, smoking and more across parts of western Montana.

A road restriction is in place for the East and West Side South Fork Roads, and an area closure is in effect for the front country of the Spotted Bear district as well as the Gorge Creek drainage with the Bob Marshall Wilderness area, including Feather, Inspiration, Gorge, Canyon Trickle and Stadium Creeks.

According to the Flathead Interagency Type 3 Team, the following actions are planned for Saturday:

A masticator and heavy equipment task force are utilized to establish a fuel break around the Wilderness Lodgeand the hydro-electric facility.

A hoseline has been laid along the established fuel break and sprinklers have been set up around the Wilderness Lodge.Exposed wood on the hydro-electric facility was wrapped and sprinklers were installed along Addition Bridge.

Fire personnel have started structure protection efforts for the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compounds that will continue into today.

A safety zone is being established on the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compounds that should be completed today.

Crews will continue to work on improving previous fuel breaks and installing hose line and sprinkler systems around the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

UPDATE, AUG. 4:

Fires in the Tin Soldier complex have grown to a total of 2,368 acres.

As of Friday morning, the following is the current acres burned by each fire:

Fire growth Thursday was reportedly moderate between the three active fires. The call was made that the Con Kelly Fire is out as of Thursday morning.

The Stony Communications Site, hydro-electric plant, Heinrude residential community, commercial guest ranches and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound are still at risk from the other fires.

According to the Flathead Interagency Type 3 Team, the following are planned actions against the fires Friday:

A masticator and heavy equipment task force are utilized to establish a fuel break around the Wilderness Lodge and the hydro-electric facility.

A hoseline has been laid along the established fuel break and sprinklers have been set up around the Wilderness Lodge.

Exposed wood on the hydro-electric facility was wrapped yesterday and sprinklers were installed along Addition Bridge. Fire personnel have started initial structure protection efforts for the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compounds that will continue into today.

A safety zone is being established on the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound. Crews continue to work on improving previous fuel breaks around the Spotted Bear Ranch, Diamond R Ranch and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

Additional planned activities for today will include installing hose line and sprinkler systems at these facilities.

UPDATE, AUG. 3:

Due to the Tin Soldier Complex of fires, the West Side South Fork Road #895 will be closed to public travel at the 42 mile mark and the East Side South Fork Road #38 will be closed to public travel at the 37.5 mile mark.

Four fires burning around 2,061 acres make up the Tin Soldier Complex, which is burning on the Spotted Bear Ranger District of the Flathead National Forests.

As of Thursday morning, the following is the current acres burned by each fire:

The Bruce, Kah and Sullivan fires are being managed with point source protection to protect values at risk, which includes the Stony Communications Site, hydro-electric plant, Heinrude residential community, commercial guest ranches and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station compound.

The Heinrude Community has been issued an evacuation by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

Stage 1 fire restrictions are in effect, with Stage 2 restrictions taking effect Aug. 5.

A road restriction is in effect for the East andWest Side South Fork Roads.

A closure is effective for the front country of the Spotted Bear district.

Temporary Flight Restrictions are in place for air space over the Tin Soldier Complex to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operating in the area.

People are being reminded that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones.

The following is a Facebook post by the Flathead National Forest:

There have now been 17 fires reported since the dry lightning storm between July 29 and July 30.

The Kah Mountain and Bruce fires on the Spotted Bear Ranger District are being combined with two smaller starts into the Tin Soldier Complex. A Type 3 Incident Management Team will take command of the Tin Soldier Complex, cumulatively estimated at 80-100 acres.

Spotted Bear Ranger District has seven reported fires at this time. Alcove and Stadium Creek Fires are in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The 0.5-acre Elam Fire is along the West Side Road on the Hungry Horse Reservoir and firefighters have constructed containment lines around the perimeter.

The Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District has nine reported fires, one of which is in controlled and two are now contained, including the 0.10-acre fire near Lion Lake reported this morning July 31.

- The Logan Fire is contained and is approximately 0.10 acre, located in timber with an active timber sale to the south. Aerial resources delivered buckets of water this morning, slowing the fire spread in support of the firefighters who successfully constructed containment line around the fire.

- The Doris Point Fire is estimated at 0.5 acre and is burning on 80-90% slope in thick timber and vegetation with prevalent large-diameter dead trees. Fire personnel were able to approach the fire on Sunday but the risk to firefighter safety is very high due to the fire’s location. Fire personnel are working to evaluate opportunities and suppression plans that prioritize safety and probability of success.

- The Ridge Fire is estimated at 20-30 acres, actively backing down towards Embry drainage in mature timber with high quantities of both dead and down trees and standing dead snags. This is a full suppression fire and fire personnel are assessing control features, utilizing old logging roads. Heavy equipment has been ordered to support firefighting efforts.

- The Abbot Fire is a single tree snag burning less than half a mile from the Ridge Fire and has been incorporated into the Ridge Fire response strategy.

- The Emery Fire is estimated at 0.10 south of the ridge fire and is successfully controlled.

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place and there are currently no fire-related area or road closures on the Flathead National Forest.

The fair runs August 16th through the 20th at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. Seven lucky people will win a pair of tickets to either the PRCA Rodeo, the Russell Dickerson concert or general admission fair tickets. Enter for your chance!

KALISPELL, Mont. - Flathead County Commissioners voted in favor of declaring an emergency in the county effective Aug. 1 due to fire danger.

Currently in Kalispell

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