Fire danger grows

High country is still green, but low-elevation areas are drying out fast

Firefighters kept a lid on the largest fires in Northwest Montana Tuesday, but there is growing concern about the potential for escaped fires in drying low-elevation areas.

The Deep Draw Fire was last mapped at 1,050 acres, burning in steep terrain about eight miles west of Elmo, and another nearby fire - Deep Draw II - is estimated at 500 acres. Both fires didn't have substantial growth Tuesday.

"The air show has been really heavy," said Rich Janssen, fire information officer for the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes.

In addition to helicopter water drops, two "Super Scooper" planes were dropping water on the fire Tuesday.

"We've had a couple of Super Scoopers that have been getting (water) right out of Elmo Bay, so it's been a real quick turnaround," Janssen said. "They've been getting a lot of water on it in a short amount of time."

And that significantly slowed both fires, which have nearly surrounded a section of state school trust land, Janssen said.

Personnel and equipment on the fires increased dramatically from Monday to Tuesday. There are now 218 people, along with 10 engines, working on the fires.

The tribal government is urging drivers to be aware of heavy fire traffic along Montana 28 between Elmo and Hot Springs. And a fire information meeting for the public is planned for 7 p.m. today at the Elmo Community Center.

Elsewhere in the area Tuesday, firefighters pounced on a fire that was detected at about 1:30 p.m. on a ridge above McMannamy Draw west of Kalispell. Smoke could be seen from U.S. 93 north of town.

"It's a half-acre fire burning in slash and log decks," said Fred Holmes, Kalispell area fire supervisor with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. "That's why it's putting up so much smoke."

The state's helicopter was dropping water on the fire, with help on the ground from four state fire engines. The West Valley Fire Department handled structure protection duties near homes in McMannamy Draw.

"They are not in danger," Holmes said of the homes. "But we still do structure protection in case we get some weird winds."

Tuesday morning, fire managers held a meeting to discuss potential fire restrictions and decided against imposing them at this time. However, there is discussion of possible fire restrictions applying only to the Flathead Valley floor.

Fuels in the surrounding mountains "aren't in too bad shape," with early summer green conditions persisting at higher elevations, said Lincoln Chute, Flathead County Fire Service area manager. "But the valley is really drying out."

Adding to that concern has been a recent rash of human-caused fires in the valley.

"We've been trying to get the prevention message out that there's no open burning (at this time of year), but we're still getting a substantial amount of that," Chute said. "We're seeing people trying to burn debris, and they're saying it's a campfire."

Chute said safe campfires should be small and surrounded by a fire ring, and they shouldn't involve burning yard debris.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com