TOWNSEND
High winds and low relative humidity caused a wildfire east of Townsend to grow Tuesday, but not as much as expected. By nightfall, the blaze had charred between 750 and 800 acres, or about 1.25 square miles, and was about 10 percent contained. Winds were steady at 15-20 mph throughout the day, with gusts of 35 mph, making it difficult for crews to gain ground. "Gusts around town did cause it to grow, but not like it was expected, so that was good," said fire information officer Liz Van Genderen. "Most of the growth occurred (Monday)." Van Genderen said Tuesday evening the Bear Gulch fire was growing to the east deeper into the Helena National Forest and still threatening no structures. However, she said a "red flag" weather warning, which indicates "very high or extreme fire danger," was to remain in effect in the area until midnight. About 100 people were assigned to the Bear Gulch fire. A specialized "type 2" incident management team was expected to take command of fire operations early Wednesday. The blaze, burning in heavy timber, was first reported shortly before 2 p.m. Monday and grew from 30 acres to more than 600 acres in less than four hours. Because of the fire, the North Fork of Deep Creek Road a n d Ca b i n Gu l c h Ro a d remained closed until further notice. Elsewhere, heavy smoke prevented fire managers from getting a good look at the 17 fires burning in the Bitterroot National Forest on Tuesday. However, forest managers expected that higher humidity overnight and throughout the day prevented the fires from growing "too aggressively," a news release said. The lightning-caused Wood Hump f ire, in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, remained the largest of the 17 blazes, at about 2,200 acres. No fire-related road closures Or fire restrictions were scheduled in the Bitterroot Forest, but travelers were being warned of limited access on the Hells Half Road caused by active burning in the 1,000-acre Hells Half Saddle fire. In addition, the Nez Perce National Forest was expected to close the Magruder-Elk City Road at Sabe Saddle because of wildfires burning on that side of the divide. Bitterroot Forest officials warned that the next few days will be critical, with conditions remaining ripe for new fire starts to grow quickly. (AP)
