The 13,000 acre Middle Ridge Fire burning west of Ronan is listed at 25% containment. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ (CSKT) Division of Fire said crews continued mop up efforts Thursday.
North of Hungry Horse, all campers in the Emery Bay Campground and dispersed camp sites in the area north of the reservoir are under mandatory evacuation order. The Flathead National Forest service issued the evacuation order around 7 p.m. Thursday due to the Ridge Fire (not to be confused with the Middle Ridge Fire) burning more than 600 acres near the north end of Hungry Horse Reservoir. The agency says all campers in the Emery Bay Campground need to leave immediately due to the fire’s spread.
The almost 14,000 acre Niarada Fire west of Elmo continues actively burning in a mix of timber and brush.
There was a community meeting for the Big Knife, Niarada and Mill Pocket fires Thursday evening A video of that meeting is on the CSKT Division of Fire Facebook page.
Fast action stopped a brand new fire in its tracks Thursday on the northwest side of Highway 93 just north of Ravalli. The fast moving fire scorched about 20 acres before being knocked down by firefighters, helicopter bucket drops and two single engine air tankers.
Firefighters report good progress on the Colt Fire northwest of Seeley Lake. The fire remains most active on its southwest corner where crews Wednesday are dropping fire retardant attempting to prevent the flames from moving further south.
Firefighters continue working to contain several fires on the Flathead National Forest.
The Tin Soldier complex of fires east of Swan Lake has now burned an estimated 2,000 acres. Crews are setting up sprinklers and enhancing existing fire lines to protect private property and the Spotted Bear Ranger Station.
Hot, dry conditions will continue in west central and northwest Montana until cooler, wetter conditions move in Saturday.
