Deer Creek warming hut vandalized

The warming hut on Forest Service Road 465 near Deer Creek was vandalized on June 18 just after 3 p.m.

According to Jeannette Smith, public information officer with the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, someone shot the building a number of times — impacting the door, door frame, some walls and the wood shed roof — incurring at least $1,500 in damage.

There are no suspects or witnesses, and the sheriff’s office has gathered all applicable information so far. The case is considered inactive by the sheriff’s office, but an additional investigation will take place if further information is provided.

Anyone with knowledge of the situation is encouraged to call 911. To report anonymously, one can call Crime Stoppers at 406-721-4444.

As of the vandalism, the warming hut is out of commission. It generally is locked up in the spring after snowmobiling season is over and reopens when trail grooming begins. A hut in the Gold Creek area south of Placid Lake is still available for use.

Scenic Montana Trails, a nonprofit focused on various types of outdoor recreation in the Seeley Lake area, maintains the warming hut, and its primary use is for snowmobilers that have gotten into trouble on the trails.

“It seems that everybody that goes snowmobiling around here ends up at the warming hut,” Bruce Friede, board member and groomer chairperson for Scenic Montana Trails, said.

Friede described the hut as a “focal point,” a spot that people end up at while snowmobiling and from there can go a variety of ways.

Every year Friede said either Search and Rescue, the Forest Service or law enforcement ends up working out of the warming hut either when searching for people or getting people warmed up. It’s saved countless lives, Freide said.

The damage to the warming hut will be paid for by Scenic Montana Trails, Friede said. The group’s funds come mostly from grants, and some of the grants they’ve received can be allocated for repairs to the hut. Friede said the doors will need to be replaced, and Scenic Montana Trails hasn’t decided what type of door — wood or metal — will be used.