Perma fire grows

The Daily Inter Lake

A wildfire burning on the southwest corner of the Flathead Indian Reservation has doubled in size yet again.

But firefighters got some help Wednesday from calmer, cooler weather. High winds have been driving the Seepay 2 fire 15 miles east of Plains, near the tiny community of Perma, since it started Sunday morning. Within a day, it grew to 1,600 acres. By Monday evening, it was estimated at 3,300 acres. As of Wednesday morning, it had grown to 6,000 acres after a day of active burning that prompted the state to temporarily close a stretch of Montana 200.

Winds calmed on Wednesday, allowing firefighters to concentrate on protecting five homes in the Perma and nearby Magpie Creek drainage, along with a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad communications tower.

Air tankers made retardant drops on the fire's south and west flanks to prevent the fire from moving into dense stands of lodgepile pine, and crews and equipment made progress in fireline construction, Wayne Johnson, fire information officer, said.

Almost 240 people have been assigned to the fire, which has been given the highest priority in the Northern Rockies.

"We have eight more crews coming in," Johnson said.