On tonight's evening newscast: Stage 2 fire restrictions went into effect in the Missoula area today. The restrictions apply to all lands in Missoula, Mineral, Sanders, Granite and Ravalli counties, including the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests.
A new pre-evacuation notice was posted this morning for an area south of Troy. Two housing developments on the shores of Bull Lake are in the pre-evacuation area, which is along a six mile stretch of Highway 56. The Sanders County Sheriff’s department says residents in the pre-evacuation area should be monitoring emergency services information and be ready to leave quickly.
The entire Northern Rockies will feel both immediate and long-term impacts of a powerful cold front moving into the region this weekend. Meteorologist Genki Keno with the National Weather Service office in Missoula says the system packs strong winds and hits western Montana tomorrow afternoon.
Smoke levels across most of Montana spiked today, with air quality readings reaching “VERY unhealthy” in several locations, including Missoula, Great Falls, and the Flathead Valley, and reaching the highest warning level, “Hazardous” in Hamilton. Meteorologist Kristen Martin with Montana Department of Environmental Quality says the smoke could get even worse before it starts to get better over the weekend.
A day after the evacuation of Essex, the Sheep Fire south of Glacier National Park made only minor gains toward the town. But, a Red Flag Warning was issued this afternoon for strong winds and low humidity. Those conditions are expected to cause active fire behavior including short range spotting. Fire Information Officer Gregg DeNitto (de_NIT_oh) says crews are still working to create a fuel break to protect the BNSF railroad track that runs through Essex, parallel to Highway 2.
Poor air quality due to forest fires in the West has led to the cancellation, postponement and relocation of several high school football games.
About a hundred people came to Missoula’s Har Shalom synagogue this morning to be part of a protest against a new shipping terminal on the Washington coast . Opponents say the terminal will cause environmental problems.