Hot weather could expand Garceau Fire

Burning activity on the Garceau Fire is expected to pick up this weekend with warmer and drier weather settling over the area 15 miles west of Polson.

“The high pressure system, the warming and drying, is certainly impacting fire behavior,” fire information officer Jennifer Costich said Friday afternoon. “We are seeing hot spots within the fire perimeter flare up.”

She said the fire’s operations section chief is confident that fire lines that have been constructed over the week would be tested this weekend.

The fire was most recently sized at 9,000 acres, including burned-over grasslands. Most of the fire activity is concentrated in timbered areas with steep terrain.

The fire potentially could threaten six structures, but no pre-evacuation warnings have been issued.

There are 181 people working on the fire, along with engines, heavy equipment and a heavy helicopter. More resources are being shared with other fires in the region, including two single-engine air tankers, a heavy air tanker and another heavy helicopter.