Fire crews are trying to slow a new fire burning near the head of Rock Creek high in the Elkhorn Mountains west of Haines. The fire is estimated at 40 acres and is burning actively, with torching, in mainly subalpine fir trees, said Peter Fargo, public affairs officer for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Because access is difficult in the area, with few roads and steep terrain, the focus today is on air attack, which includes multiple helicopters and air tankers, Fargo said. The Wallowa-Whitman is requesting heavy air tankers as well, he said. The fire is northwest of Rock Creek Lake. That area includes a mixture of rocky slopes and thickets of subalpine firs. Fires can move rapidly in subalpine fir forests, as those trees have high concentrations of flammable oil in their needles, and their branches tend to start near the ground, making it easier for fire to spread from the ground to the trees’ crowns.

The blaze was reported about 3 p.m. by the lookout on Mount Ireland, and by private citizens. The cause is unknown.