Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are going into effect Saturday for areas of southwestern Montana.
The new fire restrictions will begin at midnight tonight in Madison, Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow Counties. The restrictions will also be set for Powell County south of I-90 and Highway 12, and Granite County south of I-90 and east of the Lolo National Forest boundary.
The restrictions prohibit campfires, except for exempted areas, and smoking except in an enclosed vehicle or building, or in an area cleared of all flammable materials.
Leona Rodreick with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest says Montana’s fire season is two or three weeks ahead of usual conditions.
“We’re seeing conditions now that we usually see in the middle or end of August. It’s hotter. It’s dryer. Having a lot of our resources out working fires we want people to be extra careful,” Rodreick says.
At midnight Stage 1 Fire Restrictions will also be put in place for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
Most of the state north of Butte and west of Helena is already on more stringent Stage 2 Restrictions.
For a complete list of fire restrictions now in effect across Montana, visit https://firerestrictions.us/mt/
