ENNIS — Officials say the Clover Fire, burning on the Middle Fork of Warm Springs Creek in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, is 24 percent contained at 955 acres.
The wildfire was sparked by lightning and was first reported on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at approximately 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, the fire is expected to push against the northeast corner of the fire, potentially throwing spot fires into undesirable areas.
On Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, firefighters strengthened and mopped up existing containment lines. In the early afternoon, fire activity picked up due to warm temperature, low relative humidity and moderate winds. This produced a lot of smoke which was visible for miles. The burning was within containment lines and the fire didn’t directly challenge lines but some embers caused spot fires. Spot fires were readily suppressed by firefighters on the scene. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) were utilized to patrol outside containment lines and assisted in finding spots.
The fire is currently being managed under a confine/contain strategy due to fuel conditions, geographic location and values at risk. The objective is to contain the fire in the Middle Springs drainage, utilizing fuel type changes, natural breaks, and burnout operations.
The safety of firefighters and the public are the highest priority for incident management. An area Closure Order remains in effect until October 30, 2022, or until rescinded, and can be viewed at the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices.
More fire information can be found online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8262/ and the Clover Fire Facebook page: Clover Fire Information | Facebook. Safety of firefighters and the public are the highest priorities for incident management. An area Closure Order remains in effect until October 30, 2022, or until rescinded, and can be viewed at the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bdnf/alerts-notices.
