Mandatory evacuation ordered near Olney; fire outside of Paradise expands to nearly 12K acres

Updated: 2:50 p.m., Aug. 19

A wildfire west of Olney expanded its footprint Friday as authorities warned nearby residents to leave the area.

The East Fork Fire was sized at 3,500 acres with containment reduced to 15% as of Saturday morning. The lightning-caused wildfire is south of Stryker and west of Olney on the Kootenai and Flathead forests. It was burning in heavy timber and difficult terrain.

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino on Friday afternoon issued a mandatory evacuation for residences north of mile-marker 142 on U.S. 93 to mile marker 157.9 at the Lincoln and Flathead county line. Residents of Good Creek Road, and those who access Good Creek west to the Lincoln County line were also under the mandatory evacuation notice.

A mandatory evacuation means there is a strong probability of wildfire moving into the targeted area.

"Residents and visitors in the area should respond quickly and determine steps to secure your home, pets, livestock and family," Heino said in a statement.

He advised residents, landlords, hotels and businesses in the area to have a plan in place to evacuate.

Sheriff’s Office personnel planned to notify residents by going door to door on Friday. The Flathead County Office of Emergency Services can be reached at 406-758-2111.

A shelter at the Columbia Falls Junior High School is available for people affected by the evacuation. The Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-733-2767.

Fire managers said Flathead and Lincoln counties, the Montana Department of Natural Resources, Bonneville Power, Montana Department of Transportation and BNSF Railway are cooperating to provide information, help with structure protection and any necessary public safety needs.

Fire managers requested a complex incident management team to support firefighting efforts with a surge of additional resources.

ON THE west side Hungry Horse Reservoir, the Doris Point Fire was downsized to 597 acres after more accurate mapping was conducted Friday. Protection measures such as sprinklers were in place at nearby campgrounds and boat docks. No infrastructure had been destroyed.

On the east side of the reservoir, the Ridge Fire was estimated at 3,573 acres with 23% containment. Firefighters were mopping up the western and northern flanks, while other crews conducted a direct attack on the active east side.

The California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 assumed command of the Tin Soldier Fire on Friday. It had expanded to about 6,127 acres by Saturday. The fire is on the Flathead Forest about 17 miles west of Swan Lake.

Public access to Hungry Horse Reservoir remained closed on the east and west sides.

THE HIGH winds that wreaked havoc in the lands surrounding the town of Paradise subsided overnight, slowing the advance of a wind-fueled fire that began Friday afternoon along railroad tracks near the Clark Fork River.

Gusts that were strong enough to send dust devils swirling around the small community quickly spread the breadth of the fire to include mountain slopes on both sides of Paradise by Friday afternoon. The River Road East Fire reached 500 acres in size that evening.

Those winds carried embers that created spot fires and jumped Montana 200, which was closed temporarily Friday between Plains and Paradise. State Transportation Department officials listed the highway open but with a reduced speed limit of 35 mph between mile markers 81 and 85.

Residents armed with garden hoses stood ready to fight back against the fire, which had grown to roughly 11,951 acres with 0 percent contained by midday Saturday.

“I’m on fire watch,” said Paradise resident Lee Ann Overman, who earlier had proclaimed “this is my town and I’m not leaving."

State officials wrote in a Friday evening social media post that the Sanders County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders and pre-evacuation warnings in Paradise, McLaughlin Creek Road and River Road East. On Saturday, authorities added a pre-evacuation status to Camas Prairie, Henry Creek, Quinn's and Camp Big Horn.

"Be advised we have requested mutual aid from out of county law enforcement," Sheriff's Office officials wrote in a social media post. "You will see them in patrol vehicles and different uniforms. They are working under the sheriff and at his request."

Residents under either status would be contacted by the Sheriff's Office in person or by phone, officials said. The Montana Red Cross opened a shelter at the Church on the Move, 300 Clayton St., Plains.

A small army of firefighters from federal, state and local agencies descended on the town after the fire was reported around noon Friday. Sparks from a passing train are suspected of causing the fire. Recent hot weather and lack of rain created tinder dry conditions throughout the area over the past month.

Officials with the Montana Department of Natural Resources said Friday that its crews were working the fire alongside personnel from the Lolo National Forest, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as well as other agencies. Officials expected Brent Olson's Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1 to arrive and take command of the effort Friday evening.

Forecasts are calling for badly needed precipitation to arrive Saturday evening, into at least Monday. As of Saturday morning winds had died down to low single digits speeds, allowing firefighters to re-group.

The Plains Town Pump was awash in exhausted looking firefights who had been battling fires that extended close to Plains by late afternoon Friday. The Town Pump’s delicatessen cases were quickly cleaned out of breakfast sandwiches as hungry firefights fueled themselves and their vehicles at the pumps outside.

Meanwhile, a drive through the streets of Paradise, an unincorporated community of less than 200 residents, showed no structures touched by the flames within town limits. A fire line along the northern edge of the town had been bulldozed to help keep the fire from spreading into the community while several spot fires with bright orange flames burned along the adjacent mountain slope.

Yesterday’s winds severely hampered the use of aerial firefighting assets, although helicopters were seen heading that way early this morning.

Rumors that the town’s old schoolhouse, which has been transformed into a vibrant Community Center, had burned down proved unfounded. A check of the property Saturday morning showed a small charred area near the school, but that fire had been extinguished by firefighters, who stood guard on the building's grounds to keep the popular structure safe from harm.

"I feel like there is someone watching over this town," Overman said Saturday morning.

MOISTURE FROM Hurricane Hilary off the coast of California was anticipated to be drawn up into the Northern Rockies by the weekend. Heavy rainfall Sunday through Tuesday is probable across the region.

According to the National Weather Service in Missoula, the heaviest rainfall is expected to occur in west-central and southwest Montana, and north-central Idaho.

Localized rainfall rates in excess of 2 to 3 inches per hour is possible in some locations.