Wildfires spread, evacuations ordered near Missoula
MISSOULA – New wildfires forced evacuations north of Missoula and threatened homes near Lakeside, though firefighters were buoyed by the return of cooler temperatures Tuesday after two days of hot, dry and gusty weather.
A fire that broke out Monday evening outside Missoula about 4 miles north of Interstate 90 burned a trailer and led to the evacuation of about two dozen homes. The cause has not been determined.
The trailer’s resident is safe, KECI-TV reported in a story posted Tuesday.
The fire, while relatively small at 15 acres, is burning near 20 to 25 homes in the Upper Grant Creek area. Other residents have been put on alert they may need to leave their homes, too.
Aircraft dropping retardant has helped keep the blaze in check, Lolo National Forest spokesman Boyd Hartwig told the Missoulian.
Monday’s low humidity and gusting winds also caused the rapid spread of another new fire burning in northwestern Montana west of Lakeside.
There were between 75 and 100 homes and structures within a half-mile of the perimeter.
“Fire behavior was minimal last night, with isolated torching,” fire spokeswoman Ali Evans told the Daily Inter Lake on Tuesday. “I would say, while there are no mandatory evacuations at this time, people are encouraged to prepare for the possibility.”
Early Monday morning, authorities ordered evacuations east of Thompson Falls after a fire doubled in size on Sunday. The red-flag conditions continued Monday and overnight Tuesday, and the fire was about 33 square miles as of Tuesday morning, fire officials said.
More than 350 firefighters were responding by building fire lines and trying to keep the new growth from reaching the homes north and east near the Little Thompson River. Other residents to the south and west of the fire have been put on evacuation notice.
After two days of rapid fire growth due to blowing wind and hot, dry weather, temperatures cooled and the wind eased on Tuesday. There was a chance of rain in some of the fire areas overnight.