Large Montana wildfires now number five

The number of Montana wildfires has grown to five from two last week, according to the National Interagency Fire Center website.

In addition to the Gold Pan Complex fire in the Bitterroot National Forest, fires in Montana include the Druid Complex in the Gila National Forest, a fire near Eureka in the Beaverhead/Deerlodge National Forest, the Miner Paradise fire in the Gallatin National Forest and the Nimrod fire in a DNRC forested area. 

The largest of the five fires is the Gold Pan Complex, which has burned 26,189 acres. This fire is about 35 miles southwest of Conner.

The Druid Complex fire is second largest with 4,161 acres burned, followed by the Eureka fire (4,000 acres) the Miner Paradise fire (847 acres) and the Nimrod fire (600 acres).

The U.S. Forest Service is the active agency on all these fires except the Nimrod wildfire, which is being fought by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Nationally, wildland fire activity is about average for this time of year, the website reports. Idaho continues to have the most activity with nine large fires and 407,883 acres burned. Six new large fires were reported Sunday, one each in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho,  Nevada, and two in California.

According to the website, 38 fires currently are being fought by agencies in the Interagency Fire Center. Those states include the nine in Idaho, seven each in California and Oregon, five each in Montana and Utah, two each in Alaska and Arizona, and one each in Nevada and Washington.

Weather conditions for the West include scattered thunderstorms across the Southwest, central Rockies and the eastern and central Great Basin. Isolated thunderstorms will also form over the Sierras. 

Showers and thunderstorms will continue to soak the Southeast. Temperatures around the West will remain very warm, with humidity increasing across the Great Basin. The Plains will continue to be very warm to hot, while the East remains mild to warm.