SCAPEGOAT WILDERNESS – As of Monday, July 19 at 4 p.m. the Dry Cabin fire in the Scapegoat Wilderness grew to 2,200 acres. According to Public Information Officer Trainee Heather Martens, this was due to the hot, dry weather conditions over the weekend. As of Monday, there are no trail closures however future closures will be considered for public safety concerns, fire growth and activity.
The Dry Cabin fire was first reported Sunday, July 11 at 1:30 p.m. The fire is located approximately 20 miles north of Ovando and 22 miles northeast of Seeley Lake in the Dry Fork drainage within the Scapegoat Wilderness. It started by lightning.
On the first day, the fire grew from 10 to 50 acres due to terrain and heavy fuels. The weekend growth was to the north and east.
The fire is burning in heavy timber near previously burned areas and is currently being managed as a Type 5 incident with local resources. Firefighters are doing point protection on wilderness cabins.
The Dry Cabin fire is anticipated to be a long-duration incident due to current conditions and firefighting resource availability. Firefighting personnel are already stretched thin across the region due to recent fire activity. The Forest, along with interagency partners, determined to prioritize the limited resources to suppress fires with more immediate life and values at risk and the greatest probability of successful suppression efforts.
Fire managers will be building a longer-term fire management plan which will include portions of the Flathead and Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forests. Management actions will be based on anticipated resources available, the current and predicted fire behavior, and values at risk.
For current information visit the Dry Cabin fire page on Inciweb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7660/. Also follow the Lolo National Forest on Facebook for updates.
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