The Ursus Fire, burning in the south of the Bob Marshall Wildnerness, saw significant growth this week, growing by more than 60 times its size since early Monday morning.
An Infrared Mapping flight reported the fire at 23 acres on Monday, September 5 around 1:30 p.m. By 6:00 p.m. on Monday the fire was estimated at 1,580 acres. The fire is now estimated at 1,824 acres burned.
The fire, burning in heavy timber, is spreading to the east and has crossed the Continental Divide near Observation Pass and a few spots have been observed on Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Officials say the Ursus Fire has reached the 2012 Elbow Pass burn scar, which should act as a buffer to slow the spread in that direction.
A point/zone protection strategy will be implemented to protect both the Danaher and Basin Administrative Cabin sites, and to prevent the spread of the wildfire outside of the Wilderness. Personnel from the Spotted Bear WFM were joined by two smokejumpers from Missoula on Tuesday. They have begun structure protection operations by installing sprinklers and wrapping buildings at the Danaher Administrative Site.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area on Wednesday.
⚠️ The Ursus Fire has move east to Observation Pass, south of Sugarloaf Mountain, in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. With a red flag warning in effect and high winds, we are anticipating that this fire will continue east. https://t.co/vexCwvo1rW pic.twitter.com/ZZBnhFZdvh
— Helena-Lewis&ClarkNF (@LewisandClarkNF) September 7, 2022
