Fire along Idaho/Montana line burning over a week

SALMON — The fire along the Idaho and Montana line has now been burning for more than a week.

Officials first got word of the Bear Creek Fire burning in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest on Aug. 11. By Tuesday night, an aerial survey with imaging tools calculated the fire had burned 7,543 acres. The blaze was still 10% contained as of Wednesday morning.

Over the past week, a few hundred firefighters have descended on the fire, including helicopters and “scooper” airplanes. With fires burning more intensely across the county, the two scooper water-dropping airplanes were reassigned Tuesday.

Eight helicopters are still at the fire, along with 480 personnel.

Over the past week, firefighters have worked on burnout or controlled burns along with constructing firelines to contain the fire.

There are still closures in the area, including Lemhi Pass Road, from its junction with Montana Highway 324 to Lemhi Pass. For the most up-to-date closure information, click here.