A wildfire burning 8 miles east of Polson has resulted in structure losses and evacuations on the East Side of Flathead Lake.
Lake County issued a mandatory evacuation notice for the Finley point area early Sunday morning. The evacuation area also includes the section of highway 35 from mile marker 6 through mile marker 13. Entry to Finley Point was closed as of 2 p.m. with predicted high winds in the area.
CSKT Division of fire Information Officer C.T. Camel says more than a dozen structures were lost Saturday night, including some homes.
The CSKT Division of Fire the Red Cross has set up a shelter for evacuees at the Linderman Gymnasium in Polson.
The Boulder 2700 fire is burning more than 1,000 acres. Lake County says its 911 center is receiving a high number of calls requesting information about fires in the area. The County is encouraging people to check its social media sites for updated information in lake county and only call dispatch for emergencies. The Finley Point/Yellow Bay Fire Department has also been posting updates on the fire.
The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a flash flood watch through portions of northwest and central Montana through the evening. Slow-moving thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rains may result in flash flooding until 9 pm. Flash flood watches are also issued in portions of Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon and Washington state where flood risk is elevated where recent wildfires have burned away vegetation.
