PERMA — Nearly two dozen Type II Initial Attack Crew Firefighters are working on containing the Clear Creek Fire that started late Monday afternoon north of the Flathead River off of Highway 382, on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation.
According to Type 4 Incident Commander of the Clear Creek Fire, Richard Fisher,“It happened last night about 6 or 6:30, and it was mostly grass, a little bit of timber.”
In addition to the Initial Attack Crew, four Type-6 engines, and a Type-3 helicopter, along with miscellaneous overhead are helping contain the fire.
Fisher says his team will continue to diligently work the perimeter, “We’re going to secure the edge, probably about a half-a-chain in all the way around the fire and then we’ll work our way further in after that. There was a couple of spots on the east side of the road, we’re going to have people take care of those and 100% mop them up.”
There are two homes within this remote area, however at this point, they are out of harm’s way and Fisher says he expects it to remain that way, “There’s a couple of houses off to the northwest, but they’re quite a way’s away, and we have a dozier line, containment line that’s stopping it.”
As for the big picture, Fisher says he believes his team is in a good position, and barring any unforeseen setbacks, the fire will continue to be safely contained. The cause of the Clear Creek Fire is still being investigated.
