UPDATE: August 9 at 9:34 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire that started nearly a month ago south of Missoula is now 86% contained, but the cause of the fire is still unknown.
The U.S. Forest Service said due to low fire activity on this blaze, they will no longer be sending out daily updates. At the time of its final update, the fire has burned 2,724 acres of Lolo National Forest.
According to the Forest Service's release, containment on the Miller Peak Fire is largely thanks to constant attention on it, as well as recent rain. Some spots of the fire are still hot and spotty, so firefighters will remain on the scene for the foreseeable future, the release states.
New fires can still start from Miller Peak's heat, and firefighters responded to one on just Wednesday east of the fire.
An area closure is still in place surrounding the fire.Popular Forest Service roads including Allen Creek, Deep Creek, Miller Creek and Schwartz Creek will remain closed until October 31 unless otherwise noted to make way for heavy machinery.
UPDATE: July 29 at 1:48 p.m.
The evacuation warning has been lifted for residents from14380 Upper Miller Creek Road to the junction of the West Fork Schwartz Creek Road and then from the Junction of West Fork Schwartz Creek Road to 7018 West Fork Schwartz Creek Road.
Residents are asked to stay vigilant for changing conditions.
UPDATE: July 29 at 9:40 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire has experienced no overnight growth, but containment has increased to 65% Monday morning.
The fire remains 2,724 acres-large.
A release from the Lolo National Forest said cooler temperatures have helped crews effectively mop up and strengthen containment lines.
Crews will continue mop up and aerial resources will help Monday as needed.
Two heavy equipment containment lines farther from the fire edge are close to being finished.
UPDATE: July 28 at 9:33 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire grew a small amount to2724 acres from Saturday to Sunday. It is still 55% contained.
The number of personnel working the fire decreased significantly over the weekend, with that trend expected to continue.
An update fromIncident Commander Joe Sampson said weather has been more seasonal which allowed crews to contain more of the fire, but low humidity on Saturday afternoon let the fire activity increase a bit more towards the center of the fire.
Lower Miller Creek remains closed for the debris from the storm and the flight restriction over the fire zone is still in place.
UPDATE: July 26 at 10:04 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire is still 25% contained on the southern edges of the fire as of Friday morning with 2,660 acres burned.
787 total personnel are on the scene of the fire today working on extinguishing hot spots in the area and tending to new fire starts.
The roads and areas surrounding the fire remain closed, and the forest is under stage II fire restrictions. Lower Miller Creek Road is currently closed due to debris blocking the roadway from Wednesday's storm.
UPDATE: July 24 at 10:13 a.m.
Red Flag warnings will go into effect in the Missoula area at noon Wednesday.
The Miller Peak Fire grew to 2,631 acres and remains 25% contained.
A release from Lolo National Forest said crews have been able to build a line around the entire fire perimeter.
The eastern part of the fire in the Moccasin Creek area has the most active fire behavior at this time, and is plumbed with hose lays.
Crews are patrolling for hotspots and looking out for spot fires constantly, according to the release.
A drone is surveying the fire with infrared to detect new heat sources.
The southwest flank is being mopped up and is heavily contained. There is no new heat in the northwest flank of the fire which is plumbed with hose lays.
UPDATE: July 23 at 10:24 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire had small growth Monday, is now at 2,581 acres and has reached 25% containment.
There will be a community meeting regarding the fire on Tuesdayat Bonner Elementary School, located at 9045 Hwy 200, Bonner, MT, 59823,from 7-8 pm.
According to a release from Lolo National Forest, crews resumed securing and holding the fire line.
Crews at the top of the Miller Peak ridge are resuming efforts to move heavy equipment into the Allen Creek area.
Efforts to maintain lines on the western perimeter were successful, working into the Miller Peak area.
On the southeastern edge of the fire, crews worked to secure and hold the direct line within Moccasin Creek.
Hand crews, dozers and heavy equipment are securing the line along Moccasin Ridge Road.
Crews resumed building a direct handline in the Greenough Creek drainage.
UPDATE: July 22 at 1:45 p.m.
The Miller Peak Fire has reached 10-percent containment and has grown to 2,481 acres Monday.
According to a press release from Lolo National Forest, powerful winds expanded the fire Sunday, but crews were successfully kept the fire within its tracks.
Crews found active spots in the Park Creek area, but secured by using aerial resources, dropping water and retardant, and ground crews. Crews resumed building a direct handlinein the Greenough Creek drainage.
The plan for Monday is crews will resume securing the hold line along the Moccasin Ridge Road Monday and building a direct handline in the head of the Moccasin Creak drainage.
Aerial resources and heavy equipment are helping secure and hold the line.
UPDATE: July 21 at 3:00 p.m.
The Miller Peak fire grew just over 100 acres over Saturday night, reaching2,403 acres burned with no containment.
The cause is still under investigation.
593 people have responded to help contain the blaze so far, including18 engines, three helicopters and 15 hand crews.
Perimeters are being secured today on the northwest and southwest sides of the fire.
Expected high temperatures, which are 20 degrees above the seasonal average, pushed the national forest into stage II fire restrictions and warranted a 24-hour flight closure over the perimeter.
UPDATE: July 20 at 12:30 p.m.
The Miller Peak fire still has no containment and reached2,385 acres burned as of Saturday morning.
501 personnel are on the fire.
Stage II restrictions are in place for the entire forest and some roads are closed in the area of Miller Creek
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drones are being used for burnout operations. The Lolo National Forest would like to remind people that personal drones are prohibited in fire areas because if those drones are in the air, authorized emergency drones can't be.
UPDATE: July 19 at 10:20 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire is burning 2,124 acres and is still zero percent contained Friday morning.
There will be a public meeting at Lolo Elementary School in Lolo Friday night from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Crews conducted burnout operations to secure the northwestern edge of the fire in Plant Creek, according to a release from Northern Rockies Team 5.
On the southwestern portion, crews resumed building a fireline on the fire's edge towards Holloman Saddle.
Crews worked on containments efforts on the fire's edge in the Moccasin Ridge and Greenough Creek drainages and sought out possibilities to minimize the fire's growth.
UPDATE: July 18 at 1:06 p.m.
The Miller Peak Fire is 2,035 acres and zero-percent contained Thursday.
The weather is forecasted to be hot, dry and windy with a chance of storms in the region through at least next week.
Due to the extreme fire danger in Lolo National, issued Tuesday, people are asked to be careful and remain and alert with campfires.
"Tuesday night crews conducted a small burnout operation to hold a ridge in the vicinity of the Plant Creek drainage. Aviation resources supported that effort yesterday through bucket work. Hand crews also worked to address spot fires adjacent to the fire’s edge in Greenough Creek. Crews worked to scout access for heavy equipment in the Moccasin Ridge area," Northern Rockines Complex Incident Management Team said in a release.
UPDATE: July 17 at 9:54 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire has grown to 1,972 acres and remains zero percent contained Wednesday morning.
The Montana DNRC said in a release crews resumed working on building and reinforcing fire line on the southern edge, moving up toHolloman Saddle and to the north toward Miller Peak.
Securing the fire edge is to protect the homes and structures in Miller Creek and the communications towers on Miller Peak.
Crews continued to look for contingency options in the Moccasin Ridge area.
There are area and road closures on public lands near the fire for the safety of the public and firefighters.
People are asked to obey the closures and allow fire crews and equipment to work safely.
UPDATE: July 16 at 7:35 p.m.
The boundary of Lolo National Forest has been closed off for public safety and to ensure resources can make it up to the fire, which is still 0% contained Tuesday evening.
UpperMillerCreekRoad is open only to local traffic for the time being.
UPDATE: July 16 at 6:29 a.m.
The Miller Peak Fire burning southeast of Missoula has grown to 1,760 acres and is still zero-percent contained as of Tuesday morning.
UPDATE: July 15, 2024 at 9:45 p.m.
An update from the Lolo National Forest states the fire has spread to the north and east throughout the afternoon due to hot temperatures, dry conditions, and gusty winds. The fire has burned approximately 800 acres as of Monday evening.
Residents from 14380 Upper Miller Creek Road to the junction of the West Fork Schwartz Creek Road and then from the Junction of West Fork Schwartz Creek Road to 7018 West Fork Schwartz Creek Road are under an evacuation warning, which could become an evacuation order at any time, the update announced.
Fire managers are considering a closure of the area but have not announced one yet.
Officials recommend registering on smart911.com to receive the quickest update son the fire and evacuation notices.
Update: July 15 at 11:06 a.m.
The following is an update posted to Facebook by Lolo National Park on July 15, 2024.
The Miller Peak fire is still estimated at 500 acres. Accurate acreage is difficult to obtain due to limited visibility due to smoke and area terrain.
Aviation resources will continue to support the fire today, with attention to ensuring that ongoing use is effective at meeting suppression objectives. Resources on scene include 8 engines, 3 helicopters, multiple crews, and miscellaneous overhead. Additional resources including crews and an Incident Management Team have been ordered. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
We are anticipating a fire area closure to allow crews to work. Details will be forthcoming. For current information please visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incid.../mtlnf-miller-peak-fire.
**𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐂𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆**
𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: Residents from 14380 Upper Miller Creek Road to the junction of the West Fork Schwartz Creek Road and then from the Junction of West Fork Schwartz Creek Road to 7018 West Fork Schwartz Creek Road are under an EVACUATION WARNING.
While every effort will be made to first issue and Evacuation WARNING, please be aware that due to the possibility of rapidly changing conditions, an Evacuation ORDER may be issued with no prior notice or warning.
If you are not enrolled in SMART911, now is the time to do so. Log on to smart911.com and create your safety profile. This service will enhance your ability to receive alerts and provide information to responders to enhance your family's safety.
Update at July 15 at 7:06 a.m.
There are evacuation warnings in place in the area of the the Miller Peak Fire burning southeast of Missoula.
The Missoula County Sherif's Office said on social media that evacuation warnings are in effect between mile markers 13-15 along Miller Creek road and houses from 14380 Upper Miller Creek Road to 7018 Upper Miller Creek Road.
Residents should be aware an evacuation order may go into effect without notice or warning due to quickly changing conditions.
At this time, the fire is burning 400 acres and the cause remains under investigation.
Original article published on July 14, 2024, at 6:15 a.m.
MISSOULA, Mont. - Firefighters from the Lolo National Forest and Montana DNRC are responding to a fire that sparked Sunday in the Plant Creek drainage near Miller Peak, which is about eight miles southeast of Missoula.
Ground and air resources are responding to the scene on Sunday evening, July 14, 2024, according to the Facebook post from the Lolo National Forest.
The fire is estimated at 100 acres, as of 5:31 p.m. on Sunday.
NonStop will update this article as more information becomes available.
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