Polson fire

A fast-moving wildfire torched 5.5 acres of a residential Polson neighborhood Wednesday night. The fire was ignited around 7:30 p.m. near the Mission Valley Aquatic Center and the Ridgewater subdivision on Polson Hill. Fanned by wind, the fire spread quickly through dry grass and engulfed a number of trees. Fire personnel from Polson, Ronan, Finley Point and the Tribal Division of Fire responded. Many high-end homes are in the neighborhood on Polson’s east side, but all structures were spared damage, although the fire came practically to the doorstep of some houses on Long Lake Drive, according to Polson chief fire investigator John Fairchild. Crews remained at the scene until 2 a.m. and hot spots were still being monitored Thursday morning. Fairchild indicated the fire was started by people “playing with something they shouldn’t have.” The fire came just hours before the Flathead Reservation was set to enter into Stage I fire restrictions. “It’s dry. No open flame burning,” Fairchild reminded people on Thursday.