Prescribed burn this week north of Seeley Lake

With the favorable moisture recovery in the area, the Seeley Lake Ranger District is in prescription to take on some fall prescribed burning. Over the next two days, the District will be lighting East Colt Summit, a 550 acre unit on the east side of Highway 83 15 miles north of Seeley Lake across from Summit Lake. Smoke may be visible from Seeley Lake, Holland Lake, Rovero's Flats and the Highway 83 corridor.

District Ranger Quinn Carver said the unit has been logged and prepped for the past couple of years.

"This is part of the continuing effort to maintain the forest to protect our values at risk – homes and people – in the Seeley valley in this case from a large wildfire."

Monday, Oct. 4 they have 26 firefighters on site from the District, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and smokejumpers. They will start black lining from the top. Tomorrow, they will be using a helicopter to light the interior of the unit with ground forces to hold.

"Please don't be alarmed when you see a helicopter out there. It will not mean there is something going wrong, it is just the most efficient tool to use for lighting in this case," Carver said.

There could be smoke across the highway at times. Some of the smoke may reach Seeley in the evenings over the next several days. The District will be monitoring the smoke. There is a front predicted with moisture for later this week that should minimize smoke duration.

"There will be smoke for a couple of days and I apologize for any inconvenience that may cause," Carver said. "As always, feel free to contact us with questions or concerns."

For more information or questions call the District at 406-677-2233.