Fire crews contain slash burn in Swan Valley

A slash-burning operation that burned out of control Wednesday in the Swan Valley has been contained, according to state forest officials, but motorists should expect smoke and reduced speed limits on a portion of Montana 83.

Greg Poncin, land manager for the Kalispell unit of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, said state fire crews gained control of the roughly 70-acre fire that flared up Wednesday after warm weather ignited slash piles that had been burned last week.

Burning in the In-Pa-Oh Creek drainage, the fire never posed a threat to any structures, Poncin said. The drainage is located about two miles south of the Point Pleasant Campground adjacent to the Swan Highway.

“With this warm, dry weather we had earlier this week, it started kind of creeping around out there,” Poncin said. “Smoke on the highway is probably the biggest issue, and impacts of the smoke on the community of Swan Lake.”

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s nearest air censor, in Seeley Lake, rated air quality “good” on Friday.

DNRC responded Wednesday with engines and heavy equipment to corral the fire, although Dan Cassidy, fire program manager for the state’s northwest land office, said some smoke may still be present in the Swan Valley.

The Montana Department of Transportation has temporarily dropped the speed limit on the segment of highway adjacent to the road to 35 miles per hour.