Update: 5:15 p.m., 07/15/17
In Lewis & Clark County west of Wolf Creek, homes have been evacuated on Lynx Trail Drive, Whispering Pines Road, North Lyons Creek Road. Anyone who has been evacuated may find shelter at the Wolf Creek School.
4:30 p.m., 07/15/17
At least one structure has burned near Augusta, MT, and residents west of Wolf Creek have been evacuated due to three new fires in Lewis & Clark County.
From the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office:
3 fires have broken out since noon in Lewis and Clark County, 2 near Augusta and 1 near Wolf Creek. At least one structure has been burned near Augusta. Residents of Lynx Trail Drive west of Wolf Creek have been evacuated. A public hotline has been established at 457-8529. Please call the hotline for general information about the fires. Call 911 if you have an emergency.
North of Lincoln, the 40+ acre Park Creek Fire is burning in heavy snag patches and steep terrain. Ground and helicopter crews are on the way to the fire. Officials expect today's hot, dry, and possibly gusty conditions will keep fire behavior active.
A temporary trail closure is in place due to fire activity. The closure covers Trail #418 from the trailhead on Sucker Creek Road to Snowbank Lake; and Trail #417 from the end of Forest Service Road 1821 to Stonewall Mountain Lookout.
There will be a community meeting Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Community Hall to share information about this fire.
KPAX News is reporting a 20 acre fire burning in the area of Kelly Island just west of Missoula. River access is closed at Kelly Island Fishing Access Site where firefighters are working the fire. No other closures or evacuations have been reported.
On the Missoula Ranger District, firefighters used air resources Friday to check the growth of the Sliderock Fire burning 9 miles south of Beavertail pond. That fire remains at around 40 acres in size. Firefighters continue working to search for and extinguish spot fires in the area.
According to officials from the Bitterroot National Forest:
Firefighters are currently working on 8 new lightning-caused wildfires on the Bitterroot National Forest. Thanks to quick initial attack by fire crews, all of the fires are small (.10 acre or less). Several are burning in remote locations where firefighters had to be flown in by helicopter or hike in several miles. All fires are located on the southern end of the forest on the West Fork and Darby/Sula Ranger Districts. There are no structures threatened and no closures at this time. ... Containment: One fire is currently out and three others are contained. Containment is expected on all fires later today or this weekend.
We'll update this post as more information becomes available.
