Quick thinking by a trio of hikers in the Flathead National Forest may have prevented a forest fire.
On Saturday night, Nicholas Boulle of France, Mike Stephens and Scott Mergenthaler of Kalispell found an unattended campfire that had escaped its makeshift ring near Ashley Lake. Boulle flagged down a law enforcement officer and the group was able to extinguish the fire, says forest spokesperson Janette Turk.
"We need people to pay attention, and this could have prevented something disastrous."
Turk says abandoned campfires are common in the Flathead Valley. It is illegal to build fires outside of designated rings in that area of the Flathead National Forest.
There are currently Stage One fire restrictions in place in the Bitterroot National Forest and Yellowstone National Park, meaning fires are illegal outside of existing metal fire rings.