HAMILTON — Fire crews are battling steep terrain to fight the Nature Grove Fire, which prompted evacuation warnings along part of Skalkaho Highway outside of Hamilton.
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“No roads, no access, just really thickly timbered steep slopes,” said Bitterroot National Forest Darby-Sula District ranger Steve Brown. “One of those places that we've always said ‘We hope we don't get a fire there.’”
After a Saturday lightning strike, the area above Black Bear Campground ignited on Sunday. The Nature Grove Fire burned more than 150 acres in just one day, prompting evacuation warnings for some along Skalkaho Highway.
“There is a home less than one mile down the hill from the fire, and so those were the first folks that we gave evacuation warnings to, working with the sheriff's office,” Brown said. “There's just not a lot of good places to engage that fire between where it is and where the homes are, so we just want people to be prepared.”
Crews are working to protect structures in the area. Because the fire is burning through rough terrain, they are bringing in lots of air support.
“Where the fire currently is, you can't get equipment in there, you really can't get firefighters in there and so really the only way is with helicopters and air tankers,” Brown said.
The Nature Grove Fire is not the only new start from the past few days. Brown said that, because of low snowpack last winter, the ground is very dry and sparks can spread very quickly.
“Last year, we had a record number of fire starts on the district and across the forest. But we didn't have any large fires,” he said. “This year we almost have a record low number of starts, but here we're on our fourth large fire.”
Far off the fire line, the Forest Service has a different tool to help manage fires. Technology helps them map burn spots, look for potential dangers to firefighters and figure out the best strategies to get fires under control.
“Instead of just trying to punch a line down a ridge, let's pick the best ridge for this. Because we've seen through time that, you know, just because we put a line somewhere it doesn't mean it's gonna be effective, right?” Brown said. “Those sorts of things help inform those decisions as we're developing a strategy and looking out over time where we're going to be the most successful.”
As of Monday evening, the Nature Grove Fire was 0% contained and last mapped at 153 acres. An additional mapping flight is scheduled overnight. Additional resources have been ordered for the fire.
Skalkaho Highway remains open for necessary travel, but fire crews are working in the area. Forest Service Road 75 is closed from the highway to the junction with Forest Service Road 720. Forest Service Roads 720 and 711 are also closed and there is a temporary flight restriction in place over the area.
