The Gibralter Fire (also called the Gibralter Ridge Fire) was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

Kootenai National Forest The Kootenai National Forest is a national forest located in the far northwestern section of Montana and the northeasternmost lands in the Idaho panhandle in the United States, along the Canada–US border. Of the administered by the forest, le ...

, east of

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The fire, which was started by a lightning strike, was reported on August 7, 2017, and burned a total of . The fire threatened numerous private property and structures, as well as recreational and historical sites in the forest.

Events

August

The Gibralter Fire was started by

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

and was first reported on August 7, 2017, at 9:06 PM in the

, seven miles east of

. Burning in steep, inaccessible terrain and fueled by grass and understory

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

, the Gibralter Fire caused immediate evacuations of residents in four areas of the forest and closed over 20 forest service roads east and north of U.S. Route 93 and numerous other areas of the forest, including Grave Creek Camp Ground, Bunchgrass Camp Ground, Clarence Creek Guard Station, Birch Creek Recreation Area, Big and Little Therriault Camp Ground, Horse Camp, Stahl Peak Lookout, Mount Wam Lookout and Wolverine Cabin. Temporary re-entry was allowed for residents over the course of the week.

Red flag warning A red flag warning is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States to inform the public, firefighters, and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire combustion, and rapid spread. After d ...

were declared on August 12. Evacuation orders were lifted on August 14, however evacuation warnings and specific closures remained in place. By August 20, the Gibralter Fire had grown to and was 13% contained with 425 fire personnel fighting the fire. Progress was made on

firebreak A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...

s, with of breaks being built along Foothills and Grave Creek Roads. A helicopter helped with fire control and mop up continued. On August 24, the fire made a "major run" according to the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

, heading north and east by strong winds. It grew towards Mount Scotty, marking in total land burned. To combat the fire's growth, crews implemented group and individual tree torching and cleaned up brush to improve fuel breaks. Helicopters continued to drop water to stop spot fires and water pumps were installed to protect historic bridges in the area. The number of personnel fighting the fire was cut back, due to resources, to 87 on August 27.

September

By September 1, the Gibralter Fire had grown to and was 27% contained, with 38 fire personnel fighting the fire. Rain helped moderate fire activity and mop up continued. The fire was slowed by helicopter water drops and Wam Lookout was wrapped for fire protection and additional fire protections being implemented for private homes along Grave Creek. By September 12, the fire remained burning in Williams Creek and had moved over Locke Mountain and into

Flathead National Forest The Flathead National Forest is a national forest in the western part of the U.S. state of Montana. The forest lies primarily in Flathead County, south of Glacier National Park. The forest covers of which about is designated wilderness. It i ...

. The fire had grown to . The next day, crews wrapped Ninko cabin to provide structure protection. After six weeks of fighting the fire, it had grown to in total by containment on September 20. Containment was successful in part to cooler temperatures and soaking rains. Rehabilitation proceeded after containment. Crews felled fire-damaged trees along roads and the fire perimeter. They repaired and rebuilt of roads. All trailheads impacted by the fire remain closed due to falling trees and debris.

References

External links

* {{Montana wildfires 2017 Montana wildfires Kootenai National Forest

Events

August

September

See also

References

External links