Fire danger raised to 'extreme' in Flathead County

The fire danger level for Northwest Montana was elevated to “extreme” on Tuesday, prompting Flathead County commissioners to declare a state of emergency for the county.

The emergency status activates portions of the county’s emergency plan and authorizes aid from the emergency and disaster fund.

“After fighting the fires from this weekend, Flathead County is looking good, but that could change at any minute,” Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino warned in a media release.

Fire activity across the county intensified over the past few days with hot and dry conditions persisting.

The largest fire is the Niarada Fire west of Elmo. The latest estimate on Tuesday sized the incident at more than 5,000 acres.

The lightning-caused blaze was moving north and east through steep and rugged terrain toward Lake Mary Ronan. The northeast flank is along Cromwell Creek. The burn scar from the 2022 Elmo Fire is just to the east.

Most of the fire is in Flathead County along and east of Browns Meadow Road. That area is under an evacuation order, according to Heino.

The west flank of the fire crossed Montana 28 into Sanders County on Monday. Montana 28 was reopened Tuesday with speed restrictions.

The fire had four single-engine air tankers, a very large air tanker, and five large air tankers, supporting ground resources.

The nearby Mill Pocket Fire just west of Niarada was estimated at 600 acres and moving east toward the Niarada Fire.

According to Heino, the human-caused North Lake Fire remained active on the Stillwater Forest north of Whitefish Lake and Delrey Road. It was last estimated at 17 acres.

Heino was also keeping an eye on the East Fork Fire burning along the Lincoln and Flathead county line south of Stryker. It was estimated at 15 acres.

A number of small fires in Glacier National Park were contained Tuesday. The Brushy Fire and Harrison Fire were both out, according to Glacier officials. Crews were mopping up the Kishenehn Fire and containment lines were being established on the Bowman North Fire.

IN THE Mission Valley, the Middle Ridge Fire southwest of Sloan’s Bridge was estimated at nearly 11,000 acres on Tuesday. It was burning in both Sanders and Lake counties.

The south end of the fire was in the area of Little Bitterroot Road. The north end of the fire was the most active on Tuesday.

The Communication Butte Fire north of Dixon was sized at 1,500 acres Tuesday, burning in grass and timber. The blaze jumped the Flathead River on Monday, but CSKT Division of Fire officials said crews had made progress on containment lines.

The Big Knife Fire east of Arlee was downsized to 1,991 acres following an aerial estimation. Officials said the fire lines were holding steady.

A complex incident management team was expected to take command of multiple fires on Tuesday night, CSKT fire managers said.

The Flathead Reservation moved into stage 2 fire restrictions Tuesday, which prohibits campfires, smoking outside of a vehicle or building, and the operation of any internal combustion engine between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. Use of welding equipment and explosives is also restricted between those hours.