There are many fires across Montana. First, I’m fine. My biggest threat is breathing varying levels of smoke on any given day. Evacuees are as fine as they can be considering, many have been through this before. We’ve got this.
A wildfire first reported on the Custer Gallatin National Forest, west of Volborg, Wednesday morning is now estimated at 40,000 acres and continuing to spread quickly to the northwest.
Only about 70 personnel are currently deployed at the Sartin Draw Fire, which has spread across a swath of forest and range land including portions of Powder River, Rosebud, and Custer counties.
Evacuation orders are in effect for ranches and homes in the area of the fire, although Eric Lepisto, a Bureau of Land Management fire management officer, didn't immediately have an estimate of how many people or residences are affected.
missoulian.com/…
Highway 87 reopened north of the Heights on Thursday after grass fires forced its closure for more than an hour.
At least four fires were burning on the east side of the highway, Yellowstone Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator Bradley Shoemaker said.
missoulian.com/…
Sometime after noon, they came for the sign.
By that time, the sidewalks were empty and the parking lot half-full in front of what should have been a bustling center of tourism at Glacier Park’s Lake McDonald Lodge. The two men dressed in utility blues took just a few minutes to set up their ladder and pull down the carved sign that officially marked the end of this summer’s season at the iconic tourist attraction.
The 82-room lodge was booked solid through its normal closing date in late September. The highly sought-after rooms are reserved a year in advance. It normally doesn’t take but a day or two for the lodge to fill when the openings open online.
This week's decision came after a newly installed air quality monitoring station at the lodge indicated that in the evening and early morning hours, the levels of smoke were beyond the uppermost limits of what’s considered hazardous to human health.
missoulian.com/…
An historic Glacier National Park chalet was lost Thursday evening as a rapidly growing wildfire spread in the hills east of Lake McDonald.
Glacier National Park officials confirmed that the two-story Sperry Chalet caught fire late Thursday afternoon when the Sprague Fire made a significant run east. Firefighters stationed at the chalet made what officials called a “valiant” effort to save the structure but were unsuccessful. All firefighters stationed at the chalet were safe, according to officials.
The Sperry Chalet was built in 1913 and was one of a series of wilderness lodges built by the Great Northern Railway.
flatheadbeacon.com/…
The article goes on with a list of significant fires in this area. Not mentioned but Google will guide you to news about the Rice Ridge fire down the Swan Valley (MT Hwy 83) and the Lolo fire down the Bitterroot Valley (US Hwy 93). Both are huge with heavily forested areas.