Fire officials from the Butte Ranger District of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest say that the wildfire near Whitehall is now burning at 70 acres.
The fire was caused by lightning on Aug. 25 and went undetected until Aug. 29.
The blaze is in an area difficult for firefighters to access due to rough terrain, numerous snags, and a significant amount of dead and down trees, about two miles northeast of the Whitetail Reservoir, approximately 16 miles northeast of Whitehall.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. This will produce high temperatures, low humidity, and some gusty winds. With the predicted weather the fire could become slightly more active making smoke visible from the Whitetail Road.
Crews on the fire include a Type 2 crew from Oregon, 10 person crew from the Kootenai National Forest, 1 Water Tender, Type 3 Engine from Jefferson County, 9 person Smokejumper module from West Yellowstone, 2 Forest Service Type 6 Engines, 1 Forest Service Type 3 Engine, and miscellaneous overhead totaling about 67 personnel.
Closure orders have been issued by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management closing the area, including roads and trails, near the fire. For more information about this fire and other fires across the country, click here.
Photos courtesy of Inciweb
