The fire stood at 2,927 acres Sunday night, a figure that likely exploded on Monday, July 24, after a dry cold front brought dry winds to fan the flames in all directions.
A red flag warning for critical fire weather will be in effect until midnight on Monday. Wind gusts could reach 30 m.p.h Monday night, adding power to the fire. Containment lines have been pressures, with radio dispatch reporting spot fires along the south side of Colt Creek Road.
Air support is currently grounded with the high winds.
The windy cold front also gave the reprieve of some rain as thunderstorms passed overhead at 5 p.m. on Monday. The water might be the only precipitation in the next seven days.
The fire is currently 12 miles from Seeley, and less than two miles from Lake Alva. A Type One Complex Incident Management Team took over the fire on Sunday, and reported more than 400 personnel. The team has ordered several aircraft to slow the fire, including four C-415 Scooper planes.
One very large air tanker, multiple large air tankers, five and at least one chinook helicopter took punches at the fire.
On the ground, there are three hotshot crews, 13 hand crews and nine engines on the ground fighting the fire as of Monday. The fire has cost $6.5 million by Saturday night, according to Northern Rockies Team 1.
The fire has started to approach the West Fork of the Clearwater River near Lake Alva, and Colt Creek Road. Fire managers said in an update on Monday that crews are building a fire line on Forest Service Road 646 (Colt Creek Road) as the primary fire line to the east.
Fire managers said access to the north and west side of the fire is limited, so large aircraft have been making drops to slow the spread.
Missoula County Sheriff's Office has mandated an evacuation order for anyone between mile markers 27 to 31 on Highway 83. The Forest Service has also evacuated Rainy Lake Campground and emptied the Lake Alva campgrounds Saturday morning. Lake Inez campground is also closed.
Those under an evacuation warning include the west and south sides of Lake Inez and mile markers 25.5 to 27 on Highway 83.
Further evacuations could be in place as the fire grows. Evacuations will likely first be seen on the Missoula County Sheriff’s Facebook page. Fire managers also recommended signing up for emergency alerts on smart911.com.
While Highway 83 is still open, officials ask the public to not stop on the side of the Highway where fire activities are taking place.
The Colt Fire went from 15 acres Wednesday morning to the largest in Montana by Friday night, burning heavy fuels and encroaching into private land. The strike was started by lightning on July 17.
Tim Engrav, a public information officer for the Colt Fire, said fire planners are looking at both the short and long term decisions. Officials estimate the fire will be contained at the end of September.
“Since this fire happened early in the season, organizers are looking to see how we strategize for the next couple months,” Engrav said. “It’s still a work in progress.”
Firefighters from the Forest Service and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conversation did initial attack on the blaze, holding it to dead lodgepole stands and limited tree torching.
After two days of smoking out heavy dead and downed lodgepole pines, the fire took off on Thursday, quickly jumping from 15 acres to 100 overnight. Touched subalpine fir trees sent embers far ahead of the fire, creating dangerous spot fires.
The fire acted so extreme that firefighters had to back off the blaze Thursday night. The fire hasn’t taken a break since, torching hundreds of acres on Friday. Much of the blaze is in steep and rocky terrain — difficult for making direct fire lines.
Eleven homes are currently threatened, especially in the Summit Park and Lake Inez area. No structures had been burned by Monday at noon.
Lolo and Flathead National Forests have closed off several roads, including Forest Road 906, parts of Forest Road 646, Forest Road 5507 and Forest Road 463. There’s a temporary closure for Forest System Loops of the Clearwater and Richmond.
There is also a flight restriction near the Colt Fire, which fire managers said a drone entered on Friday. It is now a criminal misdemeanor in Montana to fly drones that interfere with fire suppression efforts, according to a press release.
Someone who breaks this law could get a fine up to $1,500 and the potential to be charged with firefighting costs.
After the red flag warning on Monday, conditions should be cooler and less breezy, but Engrav noted that there will not be any rain this week, and the fire will continue to burn.
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