The latest on wildfire news from western Montana.
Last updated 4:00 p.m. 08/8/16
All residents evacuated due to a major wildfire south of Hamilton are now allowed back home.
The Roaring Lion fire has burned over 13 square miles and led to the evacuation of over 600 homes last week.
Incident spokesman Mike Cole says the last of the evacuees were allowed home Sunday night:
"We finally got the last 18 people back into their homes when the sheriff changed that last Stage 2 area to a Stage One warning area. Everything is not normal like it was before this fire started. Keep checking what the fire’s doing and be ready to go back out of the weather changes."
That fire has burned at least 16 homes and about 50 outbuildings.
Cole says burned trees are very dangerous right now.
Some of them look perfectly normal but actually have burned roots:
"Sometime they don’t even need any wind on them. When it’s time they’ll just tip over because of gravity."
Cole says homeowners should avoid wandering out into the burned areas until crews can reduce the tree-related dangers.
The 8,200 acre wildfire is expected to continue burning through at least early September. That prediction is from Roaring Lion fire spokesman Mike Cole. Cole says we’re probably still weeks away from a ‘season ending’ rain or snow event.
"That season ending event averages around September 10th. Sometimes it’s before that, sometimes later; but over the years that’s the average. So, we’re still looking at pretty close to six weeks of fire season for a normal year."
Firefighters are now concentrating their work on the fire’s south end in the Camas Creek drainage.
Cole says most other sections are looking very good.
"We always have people and equipment based on what we need. We feel like we’re at the point where we can start releasing some of that to other fires in the country. We are slowly starting to downsize here and it looks like that will continue through the week."
The Roaring Lion fire is still the top firefighting priority in the northern Rockies; but Cole qualifies that by noting it’s been a fairly quiet fire season in the region.
Stage-1 fire restrictions
Both the Bitterroot National Forest and Yellowstone National Park are putting Stage-1 fire restrictions into place due to rising fire danger. Fires of any sort are only an option within forest or park-provided fire rings.
Smoking is prohibited outside of buildings, vehicles and developed recreation sites, unless you are in a 3-foot diameter area cleared of all burnable vegetation.
For Yellowstone, smoking is prohibited on all trails and thermal areas.
The park’s restrictions began at noon today, and the Bitterroot’s will begin at midnight tonight.
Copper King Fire
Sunday's weather helped keep fire activity to a minimum on the Copper King Fire burning 8 miles east of Thompson Falls. Firefighters Sunday worked on completing indirect line and beefing up direct line around the 1,445 acre fire. They plan to continue their efforts, with a focus on private property and structures threatened along Highway 200 and the Thompson River.
Forest Road No. 56 on the west side of Thompson River is still open, but please limit travel in the area. Road No. 9991 (ACM Road) on the east side of Thompson River is closed from the junction with Road No. 56 to the 17-mile marker. Road No. 5587 (Spring Creek) is also closed, as are Forest Trail Nos. 345 (Todd Creek), No. 368 (Big Hole Lookout), No. 370 (Spring Creek), No. 372 (Munson Creek), No. 445 (Kookoosint) and No.1268 (Bay State). The Copper King and Clark Memorial campgrounds are closed.
Four hotshot crews, four initial attack crews, multiple pieces of heavy equipment, 13 engines, and five helicopters are assigned to the fire.
The Copper King Fire is currently 5 percent contained.
Lost Trail Fire
Firefighters didn't waste any time attacking the Lost Trail Fire, a lightning-caused blaze discovered Saturday afternoon.
"We dumped a lot of water. In the last two days, we dropped 66,000 gallons of water on that fire," says Tod McKay, Bitterroot National Forest spokesperson.
Aircraft have also dumped 4,500 gallons of retardant around the perimeter.
The fire is still at around 8 acres in size, but the initial attack was very strong due to concerns over dead and beetle-infested lodgepole pine in the area.
As of Monday afternoon, 125 firefighters, including four helicopters and a single engine air tanker were working the fire.
McKay says crews are making good progress containing the fire.
The fire is located about 1/5 miles northeast of Lost Trail Pass, burning in heavy timber.
There are no closures or evacuations in place due to the fire, but officials ask that motorists avoid stopping on Highway 93 or on the forest roads leading toward the fire. Sunday, a water tender had to turn around due to traffic on forest roads.
Updated: 11:30 a.m. 08/08/16
Authorities have found two more homes that were destroyed by the Roaring Lion Fire, bringing the total to 16.
Ravalli County Undersheriff Steve Holton says the homes were confirmed destroyed after crews were able to clear access to them. An additional 49 outbuildings and non-residential structures were damaged by the Roaring Lion Fire, which started southwest of Hamilton a week ago yesterday.
The fire has burned 8,262 acres and stands at 30 percent containment.
More than 600 homes had been evacuated, but as of 8:00 last night all evacuation areas were rolled back to a Stage 1 Warning and Alert status.
Fire crews are mopping up fire line and conducting some burn outs to secure barriers to the fire's expansion. Crews are also working around homes to cool down any hot spots that could re-ignite, specifically on the southern perimeter of the fire.
The almost 1,400 acre Copper King Fire about 8 miles east of Thompson Falls and a mile north of Highway 200 is about 5 percent contained. Fire behavior yesterday was described as creeping and smoldering within its perimeter.
The fire lightning-caused Fawn Fire, meanwhile, burning in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park since August 5, has grown to an estimated 915 acres. Smoke from the fire has been visible throughout the northern portion of the park and in surrounding communities but no facilities, trails, or roads are threatened.
Last Updated: 9:50 a.m. 08/08/16
The Roaring Lion Fire five miles outside of Hamilton has reached 8,270 acres over the weekend with 30 percent containment, up from 15 percent on Friday. There are 724 people working on the fire.
As of last night, all evacuation notices are being changed to Stage 1 and Alert. The permit system for some roads is still in place.
Residents returning to their homes are instructed to be cautious about slight wind knocking down trees that have been weakened by the fire.
Officials say that crews are concerned with putting out any hotspots that ignite on the defensive line. The most volatile section of the fire is the southern flank.
Crews are expecting moderate fire activity today due to cooler weather, with temperatures on Tuesday dropping to the mid 60's. The thunderstorms over the weekend brought new small fires to the area. These were quickly addressed and will continue to be monitored.
The Copper King Fire outside of Thompson Falls has stretched to 1,445 acres and required the work of 412 personnel. The fire is 5 percent contained.
Officials say that the increased acreage is due to expansion on the east side of the fire, which was not suppressed by weekend rains.
Because of techniques used earlier in the week, crews have limited the growth of the fire to the south and west, ensuring that structures along Highway 200 and Thompson River are protected.
With slightly higher temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms this evening, crews will continue to use heavy equipment to build indirect lines to stop the fire from spreading.
