UPDATE: JULY 16 AT 12:30 P.M.
The Boulder Creek Fire is now joined with the Granite Pass Complex located northwest of the Shotgun Fire on the Powell Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
U.S. Forest Service said in a release the Boulder Creek Fire has been smoldering for the last week and has created enough smoke and heat to be considered a wildfire.
Thursday, firefighters finished wrapping high-priority infrastructure and recreation sites Thursday.
Wrapping is when a fire-protective shield over valuable infrastructure to defend them against embers, heat and possible flames. Crews will resume structure protection Friday.Â
BM HILL FIRE
Fires close Umatilla National Forest dnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Additional closures planned near Granite Pass Complex fires
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and last updated 2021-07-13 15:59:20-04
LOLO PASS â The Granite Pass Complex fires near Lolo Pass have burned an estimated 1,134 acres.
The complex includes the Lolo Creek Fire in Montana and the BM Hill and Shotgun fires in Idaho.
An evacuation remains in effect between the Idaho border and Lolo Hot Springs. Additional closures on the Lolo National Forest in the area of the blazes have been announced.
All forest lands south and southwest of the Howard Creek Road Junction with Highway 12 to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center will be closed.
Lolo Creek Fire now part of the Granite Pass Fire Complex
Firefighting officials have combined three smaller fires that are actually burning towards each other into one new complex, according to Fire Information Officer Kate Jerman.
“There s the Shotgun Fire, which is located approximately seven miles north of Powell Junction,” said Jerman. “It s burning on the Powell Ranger District over in Idaho. Then, there s the BM Hill Fire which originated on the Powell Ranger District as well. But since then it has moved over into the Montana side onto the Missoula Ranger District. And there s the Lolo Creek Fire, which originated on the Missoula Ranger District about a mile and a half northeast of the Lolo Pass Visitor Center. So all three of these fires are being managed under the Granite Pass Fire Complex.”
3 fires burning on Lolo Pass will now be managed as the Granite Pass Complex
Missoula County Sheriff s Office issued an Evacuation WARNING from the Idaho border to Lolo Hot Springs
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and last updated 2021-07-12 16:30:01-04
MISSOULA â Three fires burning on Lolo Pass, including the Lolo Creek Fire on the Missoula Ranger District in Montana and the BM Hill and Shotgun Fires on the Powell Ranger District in Idaho, are now being managed under the Granite Pass Complex, Type 3 Incident Command.
Officials say managing the fires under one incident commander improves efficiency and simplifies incident management processes.
All fires in the Granite Pass Complex are being managed under a full suppression strategy. The fires have been prioritized by the values at risk. Public and firefighter safety is the number one priority. In addition, minimizing impacts to private property and structures, and highway corridors.