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Flathead National Forest |
News Release
For Immediate Release
August 20, 2003 Contact: Ken Frederick 758-5252
In response to the public safety hazards associated with the newly discovered Ball Fire, the Spotted Bear Ranger District is adding approximately 65 square miles to an area closure enacted earlier today by the Hungry Horse Ranger District. 47 miles of the West Side Road #895 from Hungry Horse Dam to just north of the Log Landing campsite are now closed.
This addition to the area closure will include all National Forest lands enclosed by the following boundaries: the west side of Hungry Horse Reservoir from the Hungry Horse-Spotted Bear Ranger District boundary southwest along the shore of the reservoir up to (but not including) the “Log Landing” dispersed camping area. From there, the closure boundary extends to the southwest up the mountainside between the Kah Mountain Road #2831 system and the Soldier Creek Trail #268. The closure boundary follows a southwesterly line until it crosses Sullivan Creek about half a mile upstream from the Sullivan-Conner Creek confluence. The line then follows the ridgeline between the Conner Creek and Slide Creek drainages to the
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Spotted Bear Ranger District Expands Closed Area, page 2
Spotted Bear District boundary with the Swan Lake Ranger District. The closure boundary then follows the Spotted Bear-Swan Lake boundary north to the point where these two Districts meet the Hungry Horse Ranger
District. The closure boundary then follows the Hungry Horse-Spotted Bear District boundary back to the west side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.
The Ball Fire, burning in the Quintonkon Creek drainage on the upper west side of Hungry Horse Reservoir, was reported on the morning of August 20th and had burned approximately 50 acres by late afternoon.
“This fire has quite a bit of potential to grow,” said Dale Luhman, resource assistant for the Spotted Bear Ranger District. “If it does blow up, we would rather spend our scarce resources concentrating on the fire instead of having to escort forest visitors out of a dangerous area.”
Luhman added that officials will rescind the closure once they are confident about public safety.
Forest users wanting to pursue activities in the Quintonkon and Sullivan Creek drainages should call the Spotted Bear Ranger District for closure details and current conditions before heading to the area. Call at (406) 758-5376.
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