Most fire restrictions removed

With the exception of Flathead County, all fire restrictions in Northwest Montana have been lifted after the Labor Day weekend brought drenching rains and a drop in temperatures.

The Flathead County commissioners will meet Thursday to decide whether to rescind the Stage 2 restrictions currently in effect for the county.

Stage 2 fire restrictions include a ban on all campfires, including those in designated fire rings.

Portions of Flathead County covered by Glacier National Park, the Flathead and Kootenai national forests and state land no longer have any fire restrictions.

However, open burning is still prohibited.

Fire restrictions also have been lifted for Lake, Lincoln and Sanders counties, land within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Traffic restrictions on Montana 56 near Noxon also were lifted Tuesday afternoon, as activity on the Clark Fork Complex fires continued to be minimal. The restriction had applied to the stretch of highway between mile markers 8 and 13.

Flathead County Fire Service Area Manager Lincoln Chute said Tuesday that while the change in weather is a good sign this year’s fire season is starting to wind down, he’ll continue to monitor what the forecast holds prior to the commissioners’ meeting.

“We’ll have to keep watching, that’s my key, to look at the conditions and what the true risk is at the time I make that recommendation,” he said.

Flathead County commissioners tried but failed to amend fire restrictions on Friday. Commissioner Pam Holmquist wanted to drop to Stage 1 restrictions but Commissioner Gary Krueger insisted on removing all restrictions.

Since Commissioner Phil Mitchell was absent, the Friday discussion became an impasse and no action was taken.

The National Weather Service on is predicting a high pressure ridge will bring rising temperatures and falling humidity as the week progresses, with possible afternoon breezes. A return to increased cloud cover and slightly cooler weather could come later this weekend.

That has led fire officials to temper their optimism somewhat, although fire activity throughout Northwest Montana has remained low since last Thursday.

Michelle Fidler, a spokeswoman for Glacier National Park, said that while some parts of the park’s 18,847-acre Thompson Fire received more than an inch of rain, it would take significant, repeated precipitation before fire season is officially over.

“This recent storm was definitely a season-slowing event,” Fidler said. “With the predicted average temperatures and mild drying beginning next week, we’ll expect smoke from the interior hot spots and burning logs, potentially, as fuels continue to dry.”

Even in the absence of fire restrictions, regional land management agencies are warning the public that significant fire danger still exists.

People can minimize the possibility of fires by keeping water, a shovel and a fire extinguisher handy near campfires, never leaving a campfire unattended and parking away from tall grass or other vegetation.

Despite the chilling effect the change in weather has had for major wildfires burning in the area, some closures still remain in effect.

In the Flathead National Forest’s Spotted Bear Ranger District, the Bear Creek Fire has resulted in the following closures: Meadow Creek and Gorge Creek roads, the Meadow Creek and Gorge Creek trailheads, the Cedar Flats River Access, the Eastside South Fork Trail to Damnation Creek, the Gorge Creek Trail and Meadow Creek Airstrip.

The Spotted Bear River Road, the South Creek and Silvertip trailheads and Beaver Creek Campground also remain closed due to the Trail Creek Fire.

The 800-acre Youngs Creek Fire has forced the closures of the Ross Creek, Spruce Creek, Youngs Creek and Blackfoot Divide Trails.

In the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the White River, Wall Creek, Gordon Creek, Shaw Creek, Lena Lake and Big Bill Trails remain closed. The Holbrook Trail is closed between the junctions with Trail 212 and Bartlett Creek Trail.

Fire officials on the Marston Fire lifted the closure on the Murphy Lake Campground and North Fork area last week, although closures remain in effect around the perimeter of the fire, burning north and northeast of the lake.

Area closures continue around the Clark Fork and Goat Rock Complexes burning in the Kootenai National Forest. The closure applies to much of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and areas south of Libby. Much of the area northeast of the junction of Montana 56 and Montana 200 also remains closed, in some places as far west as the Idaho border.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 768-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.