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Ashley Lake Fire continues to grow

By Mary Charlo- Crumley

ST. IGNATIUS --The Ashley Lake Fire near St. Ignatius continues to grow in size with good burning conditions despite recent overnight low temperatures. The fire has grown significantly in the last week due to conditions caused by a high-pressure system moving through the area. Active burning was monitored on the south and west flanks of the fire last Monday and Tuesday afternoons, with the majority of the concentration observed on the south flank of the fire.

The fire danger is still high, and stage II fire restrictions remain in effect.

So far this season, ninety-three fires have been reported on the Flathead Indian Reservation, the majority of which were lightning caused. All of the fires have been declared out, except for the Ashley Lake fire.

This fire was spotted by fire lookouts on August 8th. Tribal Division of Fire has been monitoring the fire daily from the ground, from lookout towers, as well as from the air.

Over thirty-five community members filled chairs in the St.Ignatius Community Center Friday night to get an update on the fire conditions. Officials from many different agencies, including Tribal, County, and city attended the meeting to address the community's questions and concerns.

Due to the location of the fire in extreme terrain and the proximity to a box canyon, the decision was initially made not to man the fire with ground crews because of risks to firefighters.

According to Tony Harwood, Division of Fire, the reservation has been experiencing "exceptional weather," which has caused the fire season to continue, even though it is usually over by Labor Day. The weather caused the fire to cut across Ashley Creek and make a run to the north ridge of the fire. The fire is continuing to burn actively.

The fire is now burning into the buffer zone, which is causing fire officials to re- evaluate what action to take with the fire. Harwood stated that the fire is now burning "close to an area that we can put firefighters into." Harwood went on to say that "the only thing that will put this (the Ashley Lake Fire) out is precipitation."

As of Friday evening, there were no fire management teams available due to the other large fires in the region. The fire will continue to be monitored by Tribal Division of Fire.

Jolene Jacobson, of CSKT Disaster Emergency Services was on hand to discuss evacuations, and how residents would be contacted if the need for evacuations arise. There are no structures in danger at this time, but Jacobson assured residents that they would be informed in a timely manner to insure their safety.

One of the meeting attendees living in the McDonald Lake area who asked not to be identified, has been working for about five years to protect her home. When asked how she has prepared for a fire in the Missions, she had already taken the initiative to keep her property either mown or grazed down, keeps her property well watered, has graveled areas, and has installed a metal roof on her home.

She said that even though thefire is still over the ridge from her home, at night she can see the fire torching up from a mile and a half to two miles away. The homeowner has been pleased with the information provided by the Division of Fire officials who come through the area every few days to update residents.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council took action last Thursday to close all lands within the Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness area and Buffer Zone in the area of the Ashley Lakes Fire. The closure went into effect September 8, and will remain in effect until the closure order is rescinded by official action.

Division of Fire has developed a staging area closer to the fire and identified and flagged a confinement line on the north flank of the fire. A structural protection plan is in place and resources are on stand by if the need should arise. Cultural resource assessments are ongoing.

As of Tuesday at press time,the fire had grown to 2,100 acres in size, and continues to burn in steep rocky terrain, and is still moving across slope to the north at mid-elevation which is about the 7,000 foot level. There are 105 fire personnel assigned to the fire, and it is now burning into an area where retardant drops have been possible, and crews are working on a back-burn on the southwest flank to contain the spread of the fire.

For more fire information, contact Curtiss Matt at 676- 2550 or Germaine White at 883- 2888, ext. 7299.