Fire near Arlee explodes to more than 1,700 acres
Karen Peterson photo
A fire tanker is dwarfed by billowing smoke Saturday after spraying fire retardant on the Firestone Flats fire near Arlee.
Megan Strickland
Smoke from the Firestone Flats fire was visible from Evaro Hill, and could be seen from miles away.
Megan Strickland
Fire officials talk to Lake County residents Saturday as the smoke from a 1,750 acre fire in Jocko Canyon looms overhead.
Megan Strickland
A fire-fighting helicopter flies overhead.
Megan Strickland
Overhead traffic was constant as crews fought the Firestone Flats fire from the air.
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
A plume of smoke rises Saturday afternoon as winds fanned the flames.
Megan Strickland
Sunday's smokey air nearly obscures the sun.
Karen Peterson photo
The plume of smoke could be seen from St. Ignatius.
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Officials are hopeful thunderstorms later in the week will help put out the Firestone Flats Fire that had burned 1,750 acres in Jocko Canyon as of Monday morning.
“We are listing the fire as zero percent contained, but feel fire growth has slowed,” said Kristen Baker, spokeswoman for western Montana incident management. “We are predicting it will be cooler and calmer later this week.”
Residents of the 21 homes evacuated because of the fire were escorted by firefighters to check on their properties on Sunday, but were still not allowed to return to their homes as of Monday morning. Lake County Search and Rescue officials said hikers in the area were also evacuated on Saturday.
Carey Cooley, spokeswoman for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said most evacuees stayed with friends or family members nearby. A handful of evacuees stayed at Heart View Center in Arlee.
Kris Heitkamp evacuated to the center with her husband, dog, and two cats.
“It was closer to home than Missoula, so we could keep an eye on things,” Heitkamp said. “We were kind of dazed when we grabbed things.”
Heitcamp said she received the evacuation order shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, when officials say the fire started.
Baker said quick action helped keep residents safe and slowed the spread of the fire.
“We really want to thank the mutual aid folks who really did a lot to slow this fire down at the beginning,” Baker said.
On Monday, 249 people were fighting the fire, including specialized firefighting crews on the ground and at least ten aircraft that included single-engine planes and helicopters.
The specialized firefighting and incident management teams are comprised of individuals from a mix of national, state, and county organizations, Baker said.
“It helps keep locals from having to be up there and respond to other fires at the same time,” Baker said.
Fire danger in Lake County is extreme.
“It is hot and dry and our relative humidities have been extremely low,” Cooley said. “Folks need to know what the fire restrictions are and follow them.”
The Flathead Indian Reservation will implement Stage 1 fire restrictions that ban campfires on Thursday.
The cause of the Firestone Flats wildfire is still under investigation.
