The Flathead National Forest has put an Area Closure in effect that impacts multiple trails as a result of the Snow Creek Fire. Please see the main page for details; an interactive map showing affected trails within the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex can be accessed by clicking here.

FLATHEAD NATIONAL FOREST

650 Wolfpack Way

Kalispell, MT 59901

Forest Supervisor’s Order

The Burgdorf/French Creek Road is now open for public travel. Warren Wagon Road remains open. Jeanette Campground, Burgdorf Guard Station and all trails leading into the burned area remain closed. The new closure order reduces the closed area to only the perimeter of the fire. Please stay out of the burned area of the fire, and stay on the main roads while traveling through the burned area. Drive carefully as firefighters and aviation resources are still working in the area.


A local Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the Nethker Fire today at 6:00a.m. The Incident Command Post has been moved to Burgdorf.

The Nethker Fire added one additional acre yesterday, rising to 2,355 acres this morning based on data collected overnight during an infrared flight. The fire is 91 percent contained.

Today, firefighters will mop-up hot spots within the fire perimeter and patrol completed fire line to ensure that it holds. Repair work is still being done; however, most of it is already finished.

Temperatures are forecast to reach the 80s today, with drier air and wind gusts up to 30 mph. This could cause unburned vegetation within the perimeter to catch fire and more smoke may be visible.

With Warren Wagon Road open to the public, drivers are encouraged to watch for firefighters and their vehicles moving up and down the road. Please give them space to work.

French Creek/Burgdorf Road remains closed for public and firefighter safety. Evaluations for lifting the closure are underway.

Crews and equipment continue to be released as containment increases. The fire is staffed with the personnel, equipment and aircraft needed to complete the remaining work.

Closures: There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) is still being implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Yesterday firefighters took advantage of favorable weather to gain significant containment on the Nethker Fire. The fire is 91 percent contained and is 2,354 acres in size.

Today's weather will be a repeat of yesterday, but firefighters remain vigilant as a warming trend begins on Sunday. Crews continue to construct containment line where necessary. Completed line is being monitored and mopped up to ensure that no smoldering fuels remain near the perimeter.

Suppression repair, including the installation of water bars and the chipping of woody debris, is in progress. Many of the hoses and portable pumps that are no longer needed have been pulled off the line to be prepared for storage or use on another incident.

As containment increases, personnel and equipment will be released to travel home or go to new assignments. Five helicopters will be in use today, both for suppression and for backhauling supplies.

Closures: The Burgdorf/French Creek Road remains closed in the interest of firefighter and public safety.

Warren Wagon Road is open. The construction zone on Warren Wagon Road on the west side of Lake Payette remains closed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open from Chinook Campground), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) remains in effect over the fire area, which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Please check the Nethker Fire’s page on Inciweb (Nethker Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System) or the Payette National Forest Facebook page (U.S. Forest Service - Payette National Forest - Home) for updated information, along with the latest maps and photos.

The Nethker Fire is now 79 percent contained and favorable weather conditions have allowed crews to continue to make good progress. The fire is 2,354 acres in size, according to an infrared flight overnight.

Fire behavior is expected to remain minimal to moderate over the next couple of days. With the rise in containment, some crews and equipment are being released today to head home or travel to other fire assignments. The fire is still staffed with the personnel, aircraft and equipment needed to complete the remaining work.

While some crews remain focused on building fire line where needed, others are beginning the work of repairing lines that were built to stop the spread of the fire. Water bars have been put in place on the south end of the fire to reduce erosion. Chipping of downed trees and other fire line repair work is also underway.

In addition to rehab work, firefighters will begin the process of back-haul – removing equipment from the field that is no longer needed.

Temperatures today should be in the mid-70s, with lower humidity and mostly sunny skies. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms. Winds will be relatively light with higher gusts out of the northwest on the ridgetops.

As the weekend approaches, travelers are reminded to drive with care on the Warren Wagon Road, where firefighters continue to work hot spots. The closure of Burgdorf/French Creek Road remains closed for public and firefighter safety.

The wildland fire protection plan for Secesh is complete and has been handed over to the community’s fire chief. Firefighters remain in place, ready to initiate the protection plan, if needed.

Closures: There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (The trail is open to Loon Lake remains open from Chinook Campground), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Smoke will be visible along the road and within the interior of containment lines. These areas have been secured and firefighters will continue to extinguish them.

Temperatures are expected to be cooler today over the fire today reaching mid 70s with increased humidity and cloud cover. There is a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms, which could bring gusty winds. Fire behavior will continue to moderate with creeping and smoldering in the heavy fuels. There is a possibility of torching as interior pockets continue to burn.

Firefighters have moved into the mop-up stages of securing the fireline on the southern end of the Nethker Fire, looking for hot spots and putting them out. Part of this work will also include repairing suppression lines to help mitigate the impact of firefighting efforts.

Hotshot and helitack crews continue to build line along the northwest and east sides of the fire where it has burned into the old Burgdorf burn scar and along the Warren Wagon Road to the east.

Wildfire defense plans for the communities of Secesh and Burgdorf are complete. So far successful containment lines on the Burgdorf side of fire have reduced threats to the area. At this time, there is no immediate threat to Secesh; however, firefighters are ready to move into the area if fire activity makes it necessary to do so.

Closures: There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Containment on the Nethker Fire now stands at 63 percent with a slight increase in acreage to 2,340 acres due to more accurate infrared mapping overnight.

There are 653 people assigned to the fire.

The Warren Wagon Road is open to the public, however, the French Creek/Burgdorf Road remains closed. There are still firefighters and their vehicles working in the area. Please SLOW DOWN and give them space to work.

Weather is predicted to be slightly warmer and remain dry for the next few days. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s today, with lower humidity and winds up to 15 mph. Fire behavior will become more active as the weather warms up and fuels dry out.

Wildfire defense plans for the communities of Secesh and Burgdorf are complete. So far successful containment lines on the Burgdorf side of fire have reduced threats to the area.

At this time, there is no immediate threat to Secesh; however, firefighters are ready to move into the area if fire activity makes it necessary to do so.

Hotshot crews continue to build line along the northwest side of the fire where it has burned into the old Burgdorf burn scar. The Nethker Fire’s movement into the scar has helped moderate the fire’s behavior due to a change in fuel types.

There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open with access only from Warren. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Containment on the Nethker Fire now stands at 56 percent thanks to hard work by hundreds of firefighters on the ground and in the air.

This hard work has allowed fire managers to re-open Warren Wagon Road to the public. Drivers should watch for firefighters and their vehicles moving up and down the road. Please slow down and give them space to work.

The French Creek/Burgdorf Road remains closed for public and firefighter safety.

Cool, wet weather over the weekend has given way to warmer, drier conditions. Temperatures are expected to near 80 degrees today with lower humidity and winds up to 15 mph. Fire behavior will become more active as the weather pattern starts to dry out fuels.

Fire crews worked along the roads yesterday to remove hazardous trees and secure the fire’s edge. They will continue this work today to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in the area as traffic increases.

Properties in the community of Secesh are being evaluated to update pre-existing structure defense plans to help lower the susceptibility to wildfire.

Hotshot crews continue to build line along the northwest side of the fire where it has burned into an old fire scar. The Nethker Fire’s movement into the scar could moderate the fire’s behavior due to a change in fuel types.

Closures: There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open with access only from Warren. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Current Status: Firefighters on the Nethker Fire woke up to a freezing 31 degrees with shallow fog. Temperatures will begin warming for the next three days. The fire will become more active at the surface, with single tree torching.

The Nethker Fire saw a small reduction in acreage yesterday and a big jump in containment.

The fire is now 2,253 acres. The reduction in acreage is due to a mapping mission that showed interior islands of unburned fuels. Containment is now at 41 percent.

To help limit the duration of the fire’s impact to landowners and recreationists in the Burgdorf, Secesh, Warren areas, fire crews worked along the roads yesterday to remove hazardous trees and secure the fire’s edge. They will continue that work today.

Warren Wagon Road is closed from Secesh Summit to Grouse Creek, except to those who have property in the area. If all goes as planned today, the use of a pilot car through this area will no longer be necessary at the end of the day and will be reopened. Burgdorf/French Creek Road remains closed from the Warren Wagon junction to Corduroy to all non-fire personnel.

Fire crews continue to assess risks to structures in and around the Secesh area. Wildland fuels surrounding this community are being evaluated to update pre-existing defense plans to help lower the susceptibility of wildfire.

With incoming west winds and the fire moving in the direction of Ruby Creek, there is a chance for spot fires in the area. Fire crews will work to scout for and extinguish any spot fires.

Five hotshot crews continue to work and secure the edge along the northwest side of the fire where it has burnt into an old fire scar. Progress has been slow, due to rough terrain, but successful.

The Nethker Fire’s movement into the old burn scar could moderate fire behavior, but there is still work needed because of heavy dead and down fuels and pockets of trees that did not burn in the previous fire.

Closures: There is an area closure in effect for Forest Service land. Popular areas affected by this closure include: Trail Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Rock, Josephine Lake, Frosty Meadow, Ruby Meadows to Loon Lake (Loon Lake remains open), Crystal Mountain, and Bear Pete Mountain. Chinook Campground is open with access only from Warren. The closure order and map can be found here: http://bit.ly/NethkerFireAreaClosure2. Payette National Forest Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/boise

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft may not be operated over the fire. The TFR can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4931.html.

Please check the Nethker Fire on Inciweb or the Payette National Forest Facebook pages for updated information, along with the latest maps and photos