Two members of a hand crew work to clear brush near Lake Inez in July. The fire is now not threatening the Highway 83 corridor.
Despite near-record breaking temperatures in the Seeley-Swan Valley, any growth on the Colt Fire has been stifled over the last few days and little activity is expected as cooler temperatures come into the region.
The Colt Fire sat at 7,154 acres as of Aug. 19, a decrease of about 50 acres from earlier estimates in the week. Containment has shored up to 51%, with hand line and heavy machine line around most of the fire.
Fire crews have continued to mop up areas where there is residual heat. Hose lays and other structure protection has been removed from the eastern areas of the fire.
Meteorologists are predicting some residual moisture on the fire from Hurricane Hilary, which is currently a Category 3 hurricane moving north along the western coast of Mexico. The storm has triggered California's first-ever tropical storm warning, and is expected to dump rain in much of the West.
Heavy downed fuels in the fire continue to smolder, but fire activity is reported to be minimal for the next few days.
With little danger to the public, Lolo National Forest has lifted the closure on Lake Inez, Lake Lava and Rainy Lake campgrounds. There is still a flight restriction over the area as fire managers use drones to find areas of heat within the fire.
The lack of activity has also decreased the number of firefighters on scene. There are 394 firefighters on the fire, including three helicopters, eight hand crews and 10 engines.
A Wyoming Type Three Team will relieve Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 5 at 8 p.m. on Aug. 19.
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