Fire crews on Colt Fire have continued beating out flames to add containment lines and stop the spread of the to the east.
The fire was mapped at 6,680 acres the evening of Aug. 1, and only increased 156 acres from the day prior. The fire is now 19% contained — all along Colt Creek Road.
The high level of containment has triggered Missoula County Sheriff’s Office to cancel the evacuation order from mile markers 27 to 31 on Highway 83. There is still an evacuation warning for the area, and other evacuation warnings have not changed.
Another round of public meetings will be held in Seeley and Condon. Seeley will meet at the elementary school on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m., while Condon will meet at its community hall at 7 p.m. on Aug. 3.
There are now 630 firefighters battling the blaze, including 17 handcrews, 15 engines and five helicopters. Colt Fire Public Information Officer Tim Love said there are quite a bit of containment lines wrapping around the Colt fire from the South and North.
“The containment percentage doesn't reflect all the good work firefighters are doing on the perimeter of the fire,” Love said. “We’re really optimistic about this.”
Fire managers reported two pockets of active heat from yesterday evening — one on the southeast corner near Uhler Creek and the other on the southwest corner in between Beaver and Sunset ridges.
The Ulher Creek activity did not jump any lines set by hand crews and heavy machinery. Fire managers have said keeping the fire north of the West Fork of the Clearwater has been a critical part of containing the Colt Fire.
So far the fire has not jumped south, and crews are moving east to west to secure containment of the area.
While the southeast side has been held, the southwest side is burning in big country — just beginning to enter the Marshall Peak roadless area. Aircraft made retardant and water drops to slow the spread of the fire there.
Love said that since the Colt Fire is a full suppression operation, firefighters on the ground will continue into the roadless area if possible to build a line across the fire.
On the north side of the fire, some crews and heavy machinery are trying to construct a line between Beaver Lake and Colt Lake. Other groups are setting secondary containment lines along Forest Road 906.
Smoke from the Colt Fire has continued to intermittently fill the valley, but new fires from the Mission Valley might have more of an impact for the next few days. Air quality will range from moderate to unhealthy for the Seeley-Swan Valleys
Active fire weather will occur on Aug. 2, spurred on by high temperatures and increasingly dry fuels. Moderate growth of the fire is expected, and the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm could strengthen wind speeds.
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