Skillet Fire Near Olney Grows to 2,870 Acres as Containment Reaches 3 Percent

Overview

• The Skillet Fire, which began July 29, has expanded to about 2,870 acres with fire managers reporting 3 percent containment after recent burnouts and mop-up work.
• Fire crews have increased staffing and built dozer and hand line on the western and eastern perimeters while staging structure protection such as the wrapped Elk Mountain Lookout.
• Aerial assets have supported ground operations with retardant and water drops but smoke and weather limits have constrained flights and prompted use of unmanned aircraft systems for targeted burn operations.
• The Flathead County Sheriff issued evacuation orders for Good Creek and Alder Creek, the Flathead and Kootenai National Forests put the area under closure, and a Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place.
• Incident managers are steering fire growth toward the 2023 East Fork burn scar and focusing line construction through Alder Creek, Martin Creek, and Robertson Creek to slow spread into communities and difficult timbered terrain.