HUNGRY HORSE - No change is being reported on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, from the Ridge Fire southeast of Hungry Horse.
Recent rainfall is helping crews battling the blaze that's burned 3,655 acres and is 76% contained.
Southwest Incident Management Team 1 Public Information Officer Celeste Prescott said the incident command post in Hungry Horse recorded 1.7 inches of rain over the last two days. She told MTN News the precipitation has limited fire activity to smoldering on all the fires, with crews mopping up any remaining hot spots.
“We’re going to be monitoring all the edges for any hot spots that may have remained, with these thick canopies there are some areas that will probably still be smoldering, we also need to clean up all of our equipment out there, there’s a fair bit of structures that were wrapped, will have to go through and address all of those things," Prescott said.
A section of the Hungry Horse Reservoir will reopen to the public on Friday at 10 a.m. An additional area closure remains in place.
There are 320 people assigned to the Ridge Fire which was sparked by lightning on July 30, 2023.
According to the Thursday update, the Doris Point Fire remains at 1,606 acres with containment growing to 95%.
- information from Sean Wells included in this report.
