Skillet Fire grows to 945 acres Friday

The Skillet Fire 15 miles west of Olney is 945 acres as of Friday morning. Evacuation warnings are in place near Good Creek.  

The Skillet Fire started Wednesday afternoon about 3 miles northwest of Good Creek and grew to roughly 800 acres overnight.  

Yesterday, the fire continued to burn in heavy dense timber, spreading west from the Flathead National Forest over Martin Divide and into the Kootenai National Forest. 

According to an update from forest officials, harvested areas and areas of young trees did not carry fire and slowed fire spread.  

Firefighting aircraft delivered buckets of water and retardant to the fire throughout yesterday. A hand crew is working to secure roads in the Good Creek area to use as control lines, aided by heavy equipment.  

Today, firefighters are focusing on anchoring on the south and southeast flank of the fire. Ground crews are working with heavy equipment to create openings in the blowdown for firefighters to engage the fire.  

There is a Fire Weather Watch for Saturday with strong winds predicted and wind direction shifting between several directions as the cold front hits ridges.  

Crews are preparing for increased fire and rapid fire growth. Firefighting aircrafts will continue to work the fire, assisting ground crews by delivering water and retardant to limit fire spread. 

Flathead County has issued evacuation warnings for the Good Creek Rd, Old Good Creek Rd, Gregg Creek Rd, and Alder Creek Rd. due to the Skillet Creek Fire. An Evacuation Warning is an official notification that a hazard may threaten a specific area and that people should be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen or an Evacuation Order is issued.  

The Flathead and Kootenai National Forests are issuing an area closure for public and firefighter safety. The area closure includes the following roads and all roads and trails accessed by: Good Creek Road (60), Alder Creek Road (60C), Martin Creek Road (910),  Plume Creek Road (2890), West Plume Road (2883), Keith Mountain Road (2875), Miller Creek Road (9650), West Advent Creek Road (3710), Alder Slope Road (3512), Twin Meadows Road (3520), and Martin Divide Road (3708).  

To get daily air quality information, visit https://fire.airnow.gov/