Lightning strikes keep fire crews busy in Lincoln Co.

Last week’s storm and lightning strikes have kept area fire crews busy putting out wildfires in Lincoln County.

Fortunately, most of the fires were extinguished before they grew more than a few acres.

Fire danger on the Kootenai National Forest remains at Very High and officials continue to remind people of being careful with campfires, make sure all trailer chains are secured and avoid driving on dry grass where sparks could easily ignite roadside grassfires.

The Very High level means that fires may easily start from all causes and immediately after ignition can spread rapidly in size and intensity. Fire managers ask everyone to remain vigilant in preventing fires.

“Please use common sense and good judgement when out working or recreating this time of year,” DNRC Fire Management Officer Dylan Kopitzke said in a press release. “It’s hot, grasses are cured, forest fuels are dry, afternoons can be windy, and fires move surprisingly fast. Give us a hand in the coming weeks as we reach peak fire season.”

Burning of debris is not allowed from July 1 through the end of September. If recreating in Lincoln or Flathead counties, consider skipping a campfire or keep them small and contained within a fire ring and ensure they are out cold before leaving a campsite.

The newest wildfire that gained some size is the lightning-caused Sutton Fire. It was detected on Sunday, Aug. 14, in the Sutton Mountain area, about 60 miles north of Libby. It was listed at 102 acres as of Thursday morning.

A Type 3 team is managing the fire which is currently burning in heavy timber. Multiple air resources, one Type 1 IHC crews, two Type 2 IA crews, two dozers, four water tenders and one skidgeon are working the fire.

Crews have successfully finished a saw line around a great deal of the fire and were laying hose around the west flank along the top of the ridge/Lydia Trail 800 on Wednesday. They will continue to construct line around the fire, including to the east flank, and to support with a hose lay and water. Crews are continuing to catch spot fires to the north and west of the main fire. 

An official closure order is now in effect for area, roads, and trails in the vicinity of the Sutton fire for public and firefighter safety during active fire suppression activities. The closure includes a section of NFS Road 494 and a section of the Lydia/Pinkham Trail 800.

Officials are asking people to use caution if in the area, as there are heavy amounts of fire traffic accessing multiple roads in the vicinity.

The Weasel Fire, which was detected on July 30, is at about 1,660 acres on the U.S. side. Fire growth has been minimal for the last couple days and the most active areas are in Canada, according to Kootenai National Forest officials.

No significant fire growth is predicted due to light winds and the fire burning on north slopes where conditions are mild. The fire continues to burn in heavy dense fuels in steep, rough and unpopulated terrain.

An area closure order is in place and posted that restricts access to the burned fire area. The purpose of the closure is for public safety. The FS 319 road to the Weasel Cabin is closed, but FS 114 road to Polebridge remains open.

Locally, fire crews quickly got a one-quarter acre blaze east of Cabinet View Golf Club under control on Sunday. According to the Kooteani Interagency Dispatch Center, it was listed as out on Wednesday afternoon.

Members of the Bull Lake Volunteer Fire Department recently returned from working the McKinney Fire in northern California. It has burned more than 60,000 acres and four people have died. The Bull Lake volunteers are now assigned to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Libby Unit. Another crew headed to the DNRC Stillwater Unit Thursday.

DNRC staged a wildland fire severity taskforce at the Fisher River Valley Fire Station 1 on Sunday.