Authorities say fires are suspicious

Spot fires in the Libby area are being treated as suspicious, a spokesperson for the Kootenai National Forest said yesterday.

Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Willie Sykes said after five small fires were reported in the Bear Creek area on July 6, two more fires were discovered on Friday.

It was possible the fires had been smoldering since July 6, Sykes said.

There were no injuries reported and there was no structure damage from the fires, which were all lit within a short distance of each other.

It was not clear how the fires were lit, Sykes said, but they were “suspicious in origin.”

The public was encouraged to report any suspicious activity regarding the fires.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said the fires had been reported July 6 by people who saw smoke. Fire crews from the Libby area, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) responded to the blazes that were each contained within a matter of minutes.

Each fire was only a few square feet, Bowe said, and because there was no wind and moisture in the vegetation the fire was easily contained.

The investigation into the fires was ongoing, Sykes said.