County approves new fire restrictions

Flathead County will enter Stage 2 fire restrictions at 12 a.m. Thursday following the approval by county commissioners Tuesday morning.

According to Rick Sacca with the Flathead County Department of Emergency Services, fire resources have been stretched thin, forcing the county to rely on limited local resources to fight any new starts.

Extremely dry fuels combined with the hot, dry weather forecasted for at least the next 10 days make the prospect of human-caused fires more likely and potentially devastating without the availability of equipment and personnel.

Stage 2 restrictions prohibit campfires, smoking and off-road driving.

The restrictions also impact the Flathead National Forest, Montana Department of Natural Resources land under the Kalispell, Libby and Plains units, the Kootenai Forest, Lincoln, Sanders and Lake counties, as well as Stoltze Land and Lumber and Weyerhaeuser timber land. Stoltze is imposing additional restrictions including no camping and no use of motorized vehicles on or off road.

Glacier National Park entered Stage 2 restrictions on Tuesday.

A Type 1 incident management team will arrive Thursday to take over operations on fires burning in the Flathead National Forest, including the Paola and Coal Ridge fires.

Total acreage for the Paola Fire burning along U.S. 2 around 2 miles northwest of Essex crept up to 370 acres Tuesday with no reported containment.

In addition to the incoming Type 1 team, other resources included a Type 2 initial attack team, local Type 3 management team, one engine, a three-person crew and one heavy equipment task force with additional heavy equipment.

An area closure remained in place as fire crews continued to implement fuel breaks near the railroad and along the highway. U.S. 2 was not included in the closures.

The Coal Ridge Fire 10 miles west of Polebridge had consumed over 330 acres of timber and brushy understory as of Tuesday morning with no reported containment.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity minimized fire behavior and limited growth on Monday, but crews conducted pre-emptive defensive measures for the Coal Ridge Patrol Cabin Monday evening.

In addition to resources shared with the Paola Fire, a Type 3 management team equipped with two heavy equipment task force teams and a single-engine crew worked to continue modified confinement and containment operations Tuesday.

No evacuation warnings were issued for either the Paola or Coal Ridge fire as of Tuesday.

The Davis Fire scorching the Kootenai Forest continued to slow its spread through the Yaak and into Canada, increasing by around 100 acres on Tuesday.

Crews numbering around 200 held onto their 5 percent containment of the fire totaling around 5,600 acres.

The fire will be handed over to Almas’ Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team on Wednesday morning while Canadian fire personnel continued their efforts on the northern portion that had crossed the border.

Low to moderate fire behavior was expected for Wednesday.

A new area closure went into effect Monday night for the Davis Fire area Monday evening.

Activity on the 13-acre Surprise Gulch Fire, approximately 2.5 miles outside of Troy, prompted the closure of roads and trails within the Three Rivers Ranger District. Crews managed to line the fire, located in the area of Lynx Creek and King Mountain, with hose and continued mop-up efforts Tuesday. It is 50 percent contained.

Resources dedicated to the fire included two engines, three water tenders and miscellaneous fire personnel.

An investigation determined the fire was human-caused.

Crews utilized previously constructed fire lines from the 680-acre Tenmile Fire, now reported at 70 percent containment, to launch an attack on the smaller fires comprising the adjacent Sterling Complex burning in the Kootenai Forest.

Total acreage for the complex was reported at 760 acres Tuesday.

Mop-up operations continued Tuesday and were successful in holding fire lines around the Ten Mile Fire.

The Brownstone Fire, burning in a remote region of the Spotted Bear Ranger District gained 600 acres Tuesday, for a total of around 1,600 acres.

The Gold Hill Fire burning 10-15 miles outside of Libby, reached 80 acres as of Tuesday. An 80-person crew worked to contain the fire, located in the Noisy Creek Drainage and fueled by dead and downed timber. An area closure went into effect on Tuesday for roads and trails within the fire area.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.