Don't take wildfire safety lightly

A bountiful winter of snow and a moist start to spring has local wildfire experts cautiously optimistic about the upcoming fire season. Mountain snowpack remains well above average and vegetation at lower elevations is still green — both good indicators for mid-June.

Typically state firefighters would have responded to about 20 fires at this point of the year. “This year we’ve had three,” said Ali Ulwelling for a story in Wednesday’s Inter Lake. Ulwelling is fire prevention officer with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

This is encouraging news, knowing how wildfire can wreak havoc on our forests and air quality, as well as the state’s tourism-based economy. One only needs to remember the summer of 2015 when more than 100 fires were burning across the region in mid-August, including one fire that temporarily shut down Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

And while the valley is looking lush now, resource managers are quick to note that rainfall slowed significantly during May and June — typically the wettest two months of the year.

Wednesday brought a stark reminder of how quickly things can dry out when a grass fire consumed half an acre in a west Kalispell field. Luckily, fast-acting local responders were able to smother the blaze before it threatened nearby homes.

With summer’s arrival, let’s all remember that this is the season to be extra prudent with campfires, fireworks or any other activity that could spark a blaze.