MISSOULA — The Lolo Peak Fire in western Montana blew up overnight leading law enforcement officers to order the evacuation of up to 400 more homes west of the town of Lolo.
Fire officials reported extreme fire behavior Wednesday afternoon, with flames shooting hundreds of feet in the air and embers being blown up to a half-mile away from the fire.
The new orders were issued at 10 p.m. Wednesday. American Red Cross disaster program specialist Jacqueline Baldwin-leClair tells KECI the new evacuation order involved 300 to 400 homes.
The Red Cross opened a shelter at a church in Missoula because the previous shelter in Florence fell within the new evacuation order. Missoula County Animal Control was helping with shelter for pets or livestock.
The lightning-caused fire, which started on July 15, has burned nearly 18 square miles (46 square kilometers).