Evacuation zone expanded in Noxon area

The Napoleon Fire on Thursday forced additional evacuations near the community of Noxon in the Kootenai National Forest, while pre-evacuation orders were given along a stretch of Montana 200 near the Idaho border.

On Wednesday, the quick-growing fire forced the evacuation of 17 homes along Montana 56 and neighboring property owners were told to be ready to leave.

Thursday’s evacuations applied to residents farther south on the highway, between mile markers 8 and 3 on Montana 56, along with homes on the East Fork Bull River Road.

The pre-evacuation order now applies to both sides of Montana 200 from its junction with Montana 56 west to mile marker 6 near the Idaho border. Structures along the Old Bull River Road are also being asked to prepare for evacuation.

John Head, a fire information officer, noted that most of the evacuated residents in the area had been cooperative, although at least a couple had refused to comply and stayed behind at their homes.

Firefighters are still focusing their efforts on fortifying the defensive line at the boundary of the Kootenai National Forest and private property. The flame front is within a quarter-mile of the nearest structures.

“After yesterday evening came on, they were seeing pretty significant fire growth and more erratic fire behavior on the bottom slopes of the Napoleon Fire, down by the border with private property,” Head said Thursday. “It’s been more of a north, northeasterly movement, but starting last night we were getting a little more wind coming in. It’s unpredictable, and we are seeing fire growth in other directions.”

The Napoleon Fire includes several other large fires that began after a lightning storm moved through the area last week.

It had burned through an estimated 2,200 acres by Thursday evening, but Head noted that it had likely grown significantly larger throughout the windy day, estimating it at closer to 3,000 acres.

A fire weather watch was in effect throughout the day Thursday, and strong winds are forecast through Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning throughout Western Montana from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

Other large fires are burning in the area and the Berray Mountain Fire, last estimated at 60 acres to the north, grew significantly on Thursday and could complicate firefighting efforts.

“We saw a lot of growth last night, with some southerly movement coming back to the Bull River,” Head said. “I don’t know that they could merge, but it could definitely be on both sides of the highway.”

A Type II Incident Management Team was scheduled to take over operations on the fire Thursday night, elevating the priority level of the fire and meaning the firefighters will be able to request more resources.

However, with more than 50 fires burning in the Kootenai National Forest alone, Head noted that firefighting personnel and equipment are stretched thin regionally and nationally.

“It’s always a fluid situation. If we knock things down with the resources we have, some can be transitioned out to higher-priority places.”

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.