Zinke visits Colt Fire

United States Congressman Ryan Zinke met with firefighters at Lake Alva on July 31, discussing both the growing Colt Fire and the push to boost wildland firefighter funding.

Rep. Zinke came to the Lake Alva Campsite as the blaze reached 6,177 acres on July 30 - one of the largest in Montana. The fire has been burning in heavy dead and downed timber since July 17, and could be a long-term threat as temperatures rise in August.

"We need to manage our forests, not let them burn to the ground," Zinke said in an interview with the Pathfinder. "Like the military, I think front line firefighters keeping us safe need to get more money."

There are at least two different bills in Congress that could raise wages for firefighters. Sen. Kirsten Sinema from Arizona introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act last month, which would replace temporary raises made by the bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021.

That money is set to run out in September, but some argue that Sen. Sinema's bill wouldn't cover benefits and not match all raises set two years ago. Another Bill, called Tim's Act, would cover benefits and raises, but it's unlikely to be seen by Congress before the September deadline.

Zinke, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said he hopes to get a permanent solution passed for both federal firefighters and tribal firefighters, who Zinke said often leave Native American departments for better pay in other areas.

"We need to make the pay for all at least parity to each other," Zinke said.

More than 580 firefighters have been called into action for the Colt Fire. The fire blew up on July 20, but for the last few days fire behavior has been moderate, giving firefighters time to build containment lines using hand crews and heavy machinery.

Critical fire weather started again on Sunday July 29, spurred by swift winds and high temperatures. Despite the bad conditions, fire managers reported Monday that no new spot fires had made it past containment lines to the south and east.

The fire was sparked by lightning, and has been treated as a full suppression operation. Fire managers have repeatedly compared the fire to the Rice Ridge Fire of 2017, which burned more than 100,000 acres and triggered a full evacuation of Seeley Lake.

Both fires started with a lightning strike in late July, with Rice Ridge burning on the northside of the Clearwater drainage. The Colt Fire has burned into heavy dead and downed lodgepole pine and subalpine fir. Spot fires over containment lines have tested fire crews.

Containment reached 8% by Monday, July 31, at noon, with most of the secure fire line sitting on the northeast side of the fire. That's where 11 structures were evacuated on July 20. As of press time, that evacuation order is still in place.

There are still evacuation warnings on the west and south sides of Lake Inez and homes near Beaver Lake. Homes on the east side of Lake Inez, Lindbergh Lake, Old Barn neighborhood and Pierce Lake are currently not threatened.

Rainy Lake Campground, Lake Alva campgrounds and Lake Inez campgrounds remain closed. The Forest Service and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks have also closed off Forest Road 906, Forest Road 646, along with Forest Road 5407 and 463 beyond the West Side snowmobile trailhead.

Forest System Road Loops of the Clearwater and Richmond Ridge are also closed.

On Monday, Zinke stood by the shore of Lake Alva, greeting fire chiefs and front line workers.

Zinke said he visited fire managers to see what resources his office could provide, and so that he has a better understanding of how fire operations are going when talking with constituents.

He said the fire season has been lengthened in recent years because of drought conditions and that letting fires burn will cause future harm to historical buildings and infrastructure. His solution includes more aggressive forest management, including prescribed burning when possible.

"We saw what happened at Glacier National Park a few years ago," Zinke said, recalling the loss of Sperry Chalet and other important landmarks. "I am in strong support for suppressing our fires before they get too big, and to actively manage our forests to keep big fires away."

Big Knife Fire

The Big Knife fire burning five miles east of Arlee reached 3,000 acres on Monday after extreme fire behavior ballooned the blaze. The fire sparked by lightning on July 24, and quickly torched a hundred acres that evening on steep mountain terrain.

Fire managers said the area has not seen a fire in several decades, leaving thick standing and dead timber to consume. The mountain is also too remote for on-the-ground fire operations, so aircraft have been slowing the fire with water and retardant drops.

There are no evacuation orders, but warnings were sent to residents near the mountainous area. Firefighters are hoping to keep the blaze in the mountains by building indirect containment lines on roads lower in elevation.

Smoke could be visible from Seeley from the west, and the fire has potential to spread east across the Jocko Lakes.

Several other fire starts last weekend in the Mission Valley will likely leave smokey conditions for weeks to come.

Mannix Fire

A small fire sparked near Helmville after a baler caught fire July 22. The Mannix fire burned roughly 20 acres before Helmville Fire and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation got control of it.

One DNRC helicopter, a rapid attack DNRC crew and the Helmville Fire Department kept the flames to a few fields. The fire is now under patrol status, and is not expected to grow.