The Jocko Lakes fire west of Seeley Lake closed part of Highway 83 and caused an evacuation.
“We could see the mountains this morning,” says Condon resident Stacey Boyd, “but now, we can’t.”
Boyd described the conditions in Condon as smokey, and windy. The 5,000 acre fire sprung up on Friday, Aug. 3. Officials have not yet determined the cause. Highway 83 is closed from Holland Lake, south to Clearwater Junction.
The blaze started up Friday, about 3 miles west of the town of Seeley Lake. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says an evacuation is in effect from mile marker 22 on Highway 83, south, to Lake Placid. Evacuation shelters are set up at the Bonner Elementary School and the Condon Work Center. The town of Seeley itself has not been evacuation.
There will be a community meeting at the Seeley Lake Elementary School at 8 p.m. Sunday night, Aug. 5.