Fire restrictions lifted for northwest Montana

Officials lifted fire restrictions in Lincoln County and throughout northwest Montana earlier this week following a spell of cool and rainy weather.

County commissioners issued a resolution effective Aug. 25 to repeal stage one and two restrictions, noting that the county was no longer experiencing very high to extreme fire danger. The repeal lifts the general ban against building and tending campfires, smoking outdoors near flammable materials and using motorized vehicles off of designated trails.

The decision followed a collective agreement between fire managers that the restrictions were no longer needed in northwest Montana.

The Kootenai National Forest and state land in Lincoln County administered by Montana Department of Natural Resources and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks were no longer under stage two restrictions as of Aug. 25, according to a press release.

Stimson Lumber reopened its lands to public use on Aug. 25. Green Diamond Resource Company and Southern Pine Plantations reopened their timber lands to the public on Aug. 27. Campfires remained prohibited on these private lands.

Despite the lifted restrictions, debris burning remains closed until Oct. 1.

Fire managers urged those spending time outdoors to be prepared to extinguish a campfire before lighting one. When extinguishing a campfire, recreationists should use a bucket, water and shovel to douse and stir hot spots.

“If its too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave,” fire managers wrote in the press release.

Fire managers continue to report minimal fire activity on the South Yaak and Burnt Peak fires due to recent cool, wet weather.

Officials said the South Yaak Fire reached 12,371 acres and was 68 percent contained. Fire managers assigned 203 personnel to the blaze.

The Burnt Peak Fire reached 4,074 acres and was 32 percent contained. Managers had 131 personnel on the fire.