The Skillet Fire was reported at 2,495 acres and 0% contained with 244 personnel members midday Monday.  

The Skillet Fire started Wednesday afternoon, July 29 and is located 15 miles west of Olney. Evacuation orders remain in place for the Good Creek/Alder Creek area.  

Crews had success Sunday anchoring in the Bowen Creek area, Operations Section Chief Ryan Jones of the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7 reported early Monday.  

The anchor "allows us to continue progressing lines to the north and south," Jones said in an operations update video. 

"Crews are doing great work today, getting some of these roads tied in on the southern edge, working our way around Robertson Creek with some dozers and heavy equipment," Jones said. "We're going to continue to work that around to Alder Creek, keeping fire away from structures.  

"The overall intent is to continue this on the south, and continue in the north, and try to tie that into the East Fork fire from 2023. That will allow us to corral that, create a catcher's mitt around it."  

Due to visibility issues from heavy smoke, aircraft have not been able to fly, forest officials said. Aircraft will support ground resources with water delivery and reconnaissance flights as conditions allow.  

Conditions were expected to improve Monday. Winds will remain out of the west/northwest at 8-10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. Relative humidities will be around 20-25% which along with the smoke cover will temporarily moderate fire behavior. Skies will be clear from late morning to early evening which will lead to more active fire behavior.  

During this time the fire could make upslope runs, especially on the south facing slopes and when the wind aligns with the slope, according to forest officials. 

Air quality was "very unhealthy" in Whitefish and surrounding areas on Sunday. Smoke will continue to drift in from local fires in addition to fires in Oregon and Washington.  

The Silvertip Fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness was estimated at 6,029 acres. The Elder 1 Fire south of Frenchtown was reported at 1,234 acres and 44% contained.  

Local smoke information and forecasts can be found at: https://deq.mt.gov/air/Programs/smokeforecasts.