“Every fire engine out there is on a fire”, coordination center spokeswoman Liz Slown said.
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While Billings does not have a lot of current fire activities in the area, resources from here are being pulled to much needed parts of the West including Western Montana.
The last time a fire emergency was declared was in 2013, covering 31 counties, he said in an email. The fire has not made any moves east toward the divide so far.
The lightning that rolled through the region on Friday sparked another fire in Glacier Park this weekend. For the complete list, check Glacier Park’s website at bit.ly/1UPILwQ.
He added fire resources that are able to respond are reaching their limit. “And some of the fires have clustered together”. Kaiser said that fire was poised to cross into Kootenai Forest territory. It has also caused the closure of Miners Gulch Road, as well as the Sandstone/Wyman Trail and Hogback Trail. The complex includes the Marston, Barnaby, Sunday, Weigel and Dunn fires. Both fires have line entirely around them.
Right now firefighters are fighting 30 large fires burning in the Northern Rockies region.
Two of the three fires that make up the Morrell Complex have merged, and the two fires are now a half-mile apart.
Evacuations have been put in place on the outskirts of Kamiah, and traffic on U.S. Highway 12 is slowed in the area because a pilot vehicle is moving drivers through the section north of town. It has five personnel observing its progress, but no suppression efforts requested. It’s a high priority for fire crews because it’s threatening homes.
Another fire was located in the Muddy Creek area of Blackleaf area. The largest among them is the Trail Creek fire at 2,500 acres.
The Cabin Creek fire southeast of Dillon has burned about 895 acres in the Blacktail Mountains. The declaration comes after a meeting between Bullock, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation director John Tubbs and Montana state forester Bob Harrington, the governor’s office said in a news release.
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Forest Service fire information officer Connie Birkland reported that 220 firefighters are on scene, including a southwest fire management team taking over duties from local officials.
