Montana: Map of Dominic Point fire

This map shows the location of the Dominic Point fire which is about 8 miles east of Corvallis, MT and about 12 miles northeast of Hamilton. As we reported yesterday, the fire was first detected at 3 p.m. on July 25. The photo we posted then showed very active burning within two hours of the first report.

The Situation Report, using data from last night, listed the size at 300 acres, but this fire might have some potential. Resources assigned at that time included two crews, two helicopters, and eight engines.

The fire briefly threatened the Willow Mountain Lookout tower, but a helicopter evacuated the lookout and four civilians after the fire cut off the only road leading out of the area.

We will post more information here as it becomes available.

UPDATE @ 12:10 p.m. MT, July 26

The Bitterroot National Forest is reporting that the fire has burned 700-1,000 acres. Air tankers worked the fire heavily late yesterday and covered the Willow Point lookout with retardant, which appears to have survived so far.

Today firefighters will concentrate on limiting the fire’s spread to the west to keep it off private land in the valley which is 1.5 miles away. About 100 firefighters will be on the fire today, including three hot shot crews and four helicopters.

Rick Floch, the fire management officer for the Bitterroot NF said the area contains some really old stagnant stands of lodgepole pine and sub-alpine fir with a lot of dead fuel on the ground.

UPDATE @ 8:10 p.m. MT, July 26

The Missoulian has a very good article about the fire from the viewpoint of the lookout that first reported it, and eventually had to be evacuated by helicopter after his escape by automobile was cut off by the fire.

The Bitterroot National Forest deserves to be commended — they already have an InciWeb site on the fire up and running with a good description of the fire, a rough map (from yesterday), and 10-15 photographs. It appears that they have not had a chance to accurately determine the acreage, because now they are calling it 500-1,000 acres.

Here is an excerpt from their InciWeb page, updated at 5:15 p.m MT, July 26:

The fire is burning in extremely steep terrain with very limited access making it hard on fire crews. It is burning in heavy timber; sub-alpine fir, and logepole pine. This afternoon, the fire behavior was described as “active, torching, and spotting.”

Crews made good progress today in establishing an initial fire line from the Willow Mountain Road up towards Dominic Butte. Firefighters are also building fire line off Forest Road #1348 on the northeast side of the fire with the intent to drive the fire to the northeast toward the Gold 1 fire that burned in 2003.

Assisting the ground crews are six engines along with four helicopters which have been performing water drops, a single engine air tanker and a retardant plane, which has been very active this afternoon. The Bitterroot Dispatch Center at the Hamilton Airport reports that approximately 35,000 gallons of retardant has been dropped on the Dominic Point Fire today.
[…]
The cause of the Dominic Point fire is unknown, but it very likely could be a hold over lightning fire started by a recent thunderstorm. Two other lightning caused fires are also burning in the Sula Ranger District. One fire started this morning but was quickly contained after burning just 1/10 of an acre. A second blaze has eight firefighters working in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness Area. That fire has grown to .5 acres.

Here are a couple of photos from the InciWeb site: