Wolf Prairie area a hotbed of wildfire activity

The Wolf Prairie area in southeast Lincoln County has become a hot bed of wildfire activity this year.

In a span of just two months, the extremely remote and lightly populated region has seen three wildfires.

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Fire Management Officer Kelly May said the fires were nothing more than a coincidence.

“Sometimes things happen and it’s not unheard of to have clusters like that,” May said. “And if we keep getting rain following these starts it really makes our lives easier.”

The first of the trio of fires was May 9 near the old Fairview Ranger Station. The Lower Weigel Fire burned 102 acres before crews and a good dose of rain put an end to the blaze that charred timber on Southern Pine Plantation land, formerly owned by Plum Creek.

A Type I crew from the U.S. Forest Service, a state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation crew, a 10-man crew from the Montana State Prison and the Fisher River Valley Fire Rescue handled matters.

May said that fire’s cause would remain undetermined.

“That one sat there for about two weeks and we just couldn’t determine what caused it,” May said

Then, just a little more than a month later, another blaze broke out about 10 miles southwest of the Lower Weigel Fire.

The Wolf Syrup Fire, first reported June 18, burned 140 acres just north of the banks of Wolf Creek between Baucus Creek and Syrup Creek Road. 

More than 150 crew members worked the fire before their efforts, along with helicopter water dumps and a weekend of rain, stopped the blaze.

May said the Wolf Syrup blaze was an accidental fire after a campfire escaped its ring. 

The story was oddly similar for last week’s Wolf 11 Fire. First reported Monday, July 10, it burned two acres on a hillside above Wolf Creek Road, just above the intersection of Syrup Creek Road.

A state DNRC crew, along with two helicopters dumping water from a nearby pond, had things under control. A considerable amount of rain Monday night and Tuesday didn’t hurt either.

May said that fire was human caused, but a specific cause hadn’t been determined. 

The DNRC crew was joined by U.S. Forest Service and Fisher River Fire Rescue personnel.

While Monday and Tuesday’s rain was a welcome sight, the fire danger remains high across Northwest Montana.

From July 10 to July 14, crews responded to nine fires or smoke checks. Three turned out to be wildfires. In addition to Wolf 11, two other blazes were kept to one-tenth of an acre. One was on Lower Loon Lake Road near Happy’s Inn while the other was just off Pipe Creek Road outside of Libby.

The National Weather Service forecast for Friday through Sunday calls for warm and dry conditions before a chance of rain and thunderstorms Monday through Wednesday.

The biggest current wildfire in Northwest Montana is the lightning-caused Garnet Fire in Powell County, southwest of Ovando. It's listed at 124 acres.

    A charred log smokes at the site of the Wolf 11 Fire Monday, July 14, 2025. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    One of two helicopters that dropped water on the Wolf 11 Fire Monday, July 14, 2025. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Fire crews from three agencies kept the Wolf 11 Fire from growing beyond two acres. The fire was first reported Monday, July 14, 2025, and contained the next day with the help of rain that fell Tuesday. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)