The Miller Creek Fire south of Missoula has burned 2,481 acres as of July 22 and was 10% contained. It is the largest fire on the Lolo National Forest as of press.
Editor's note: Weekly deadlines are tough for providing quick, current information as it relates to the fire season. The Pathfinder's Facebook page (Seeley Swan Pathfinder ~ Seeley Lake, MT) is a good resource for information on new starts, fire conditions, restrictions and evacuation notices, as is mtfireinfo.org and the Lolo National Forest's Facebook page. We will publish updates similar to these as often as is necessary and useful.
Weeks of persistent hot and dry weather, with a bit of unfortunate warm wind mixed in, has elevated fire season concern on county, state and federal lands within the Seeley-Swan Valleys.
On Thursday last week Missoula County implemented stage two fire restrictions, which applies to all private land in Missoula County outside city limits. Federal and state lands also adopted stage two restrictions on their lands within county boundaries. Other areas where these restrictions apply include the Bitterroot and Lolo National Forests - except for land within the Scapegoat Wilderness in the Lolo National Forest - Bureau of Land Management lands, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fishing Access Sites, state parks, wildlife management areas, state trust lands and the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Campfires, smoking - unless in a vehicle, building, developed recreation site, or an area with a three-foot perimeter from anything flammable - using lawn mowers, weed trimmers, chainsaws or other internal combustion engines, explosives, and welding from 1 p.m. until 1 a.m. and using motor vehicles off designated trails - unless for government or public utility related reasons - are prohibited under stage two fire restrictions.
Violation of any of these things is considered a misdemeanor offense and anyone who starts a fire through any of these ways is liable for the cost of fire suppression activities and other potential civil damages.
According to the Northern Rockies Coordinating Group, continued hot and dry weather, increased fire danger, large fire activity, strained fire suppression resource availability and frequent human-caused fires went into the decision to implement stage two restrictions. Ninety five percent of Missoula area wildfires have been human-caused this season, the NRCG said in a statement.
In the past six weeks, six wildfires have occurred on the Lolo National Forest, the most significant being the Miller Creek fire south of Missoula. The cause of this fire is currently unknown.
Fire danger has been elevated to extreme in Missoula County and on nearby national forest lands.
"When conditions are at this level fires of all types start easily, burn intensely and grow fast. These conditions are expected to continue through the rest of the month," according to a release from the Lolo National Forest.
Quinn Carver, Seeley Lake District Ranger, said via email that he didn't have a good read on this year's fire season at its onset. On July 11, Carver said forest fuels were in the 98th percentile of dryness and energy release.
"We have experienced a big chunk of our fires being human-caused with limited lightning so far," Carver said. "I am worried if lightning comes into play that we could be in a serious situation quickly. This is where we will all have to come together and be ready for what comes, which could be an ugly fire season."
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality alert Monday morning for various counties, including Missoula.
On Monday morning the air quality in Missoula per a permanent sensor was 107, or categorized as unhealthy for sensitive groups. A permanent sensor in Seeley Lake on Monday morning read 93, or moderate. A PurpleAir sensor near Condon recorded 113 on Monday morning, or unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Permanent sensors are put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency to continuously monitor air quality. PurpleAir sensors are a bit cheaper and more accessible for people to have in their homes or set up in communities without permanent sensors.
The EPA's Fire and Smoke map shows air quality ratings from permanent sensors and PurpleAir at fire.airnow.gov.
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