Storm leaves residents without power; fire crews busy on new starts
Trout Creek resident Michelle Fitchett took this photo of the North Star Fire Wednesday night after several lighting strikes hit in Sanders and Lincoln counties.
Wednesday night’s lightning and wind storm left about 1,300 Libby area residents without power and sent fire managers out to check smoke reports and new fire starts in the area.
According to Flathead Electric, the storm, which moved through the area a little after 9 p.m., left most customers without power until about 1 a.m.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, two customers were still without power. The cause was listed as a tree in a power line. According to Flathead Electric, the estimated time of restoration was 5 p.m.
Also, fire managers were busy checking smoke reports and new fires late Wednesday and Thursday.
As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, the Kootenai Interagency Dispatch Center had reported eight new fires on the Kootenai National Forest.
The largest is the 10-acre Government Fire on Government Mountain north of Noxon.
The next largest blaze is the North Star Fire on North Star Peak. According to Cabinet Ranger District Fire Management Officer Dusty Pierson, the fire was under 10 acres in size.
The Williams Creek Fire was listed at 1.5 acres, burning south of U.S. 2 about 10 miles west of Libby.
Five fires were listed at 0.1 acre. They included the Dunn Fire, located east of Dunn Creek Flats, the Upper Schrieber Fire, about halfway between Libby and Happy’s Inn, the Schrieber Fire, the Isabella Fire, northeast of St. Paul Creek, and the Doe Creek Fire, west of the Fisher River Road, southeast of Libby.
Another without an acreage listing was the Preacher Fire, located north of Preacher Mountain.
Also, according to the Kootenai National Forest, the Sutton Fire Closure Order was lifted on Aug. 31.
Officials say for those recreating in the area, they should use caution in the burned area that contains potential hazards, which include loose rocks, falling trees and limbs, flash floods and debris flows. Also, portions of the trail may be damaged or blocked with debris.
For more information on the closure and termination orders, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kootenai/alerts-notices/...
Also, people may call the Eureka Ranger District at 406-296-2536.
More than one inch of rain in the Weasel Lake area on Saturday, Aug. 27 prompted fire managers to announce they won’t be issuing any updates unless fire conditions change or closures are lifted.
The fire size was estimated at 2,350 acres on the U.S. side with little fire activity. A closure order is still in place for the vicinity of the fire area.
Fire managers will continue to monitor, assess and coordinate with Canadian officials.
Fire information can still be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8290/.