Wildfire conditions can change in an instant. The Observation Fire burning about 10 miles southwest of Hamilton in the Bitterroot National Forest is a perfect example.
Incident spokeswoman Dixie Dies:
"The best way to describe it is I was talking to the deputy incident commander. He was out there on the line and was talking to another firefighter. Both looked at the fire and (agreed), 'Things are going pretty good.' They literally turned around and the fire blew up. That’s how fast it happened."
Within hours the fire had doubled in size to over 600 acres.
Strong winds, rapidly drying conditions and low humidity combined to create what’s being described as a perfect storm.
"Wow, it was a show from town. We could see flames from the District Ranger’s office which is about eight to ten miles away and there was a big column. It was burning trees," said Dies.
It was so intense and unpredictable that over 100 firefighters were pulled from the line as a safety precaution. Yesterday afternoon Ravalli County emergency officials issued pre-evacuation notices.
Undersheriff Steve Holton:
"We went door to door to approximately 203 houses. The Stage 1 (pre-evacuation) area right now is basically west of Highway 93 from Lost Horse road on the south to Gold Creek on the north. That includes Whispering Pines and Highland Drive Areas."
Holton says residents in the pre-evacuation area should be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice:
"So we’re really asking people to pack up their valuables and the family heirlooms. If you have pets or livestock maybe now’s a good time to start looking for a place to take them."
Holton adds people with special medical needs should have their medicines packed and ready to go. The smoke could turn into a nuisance too.
Emergency information is available on the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page.
A free cellphone app will automatically push emergency notifications. It’s available on the Apple and Android app stores. Just search for “Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department”.
Meanwhile, Fire spokeswoman Dixie Dies says people must respect the high fire danger right now:
"I went back to Hamilton, leaving what we just went through in Darby. To see fireworks in people’s backyards and fields, I was like ‘Holy buckets, didn’t you guys just see what happened just a little bit ago?!’ So be careful."