Though Northwest Montana has fared well, this summer is already being called one of the worst fire seasons on record in the West. Driven by severe drought conditions and the hottest average temperatures ever recorded, wildfires are scorching the parts of the United States. The situation is likely going to worsen, according to the latest outlook, and local fire officials are urging residents to take preemptive steps to defend against an outbreak.
“Now is the perfect time for homeowners to be taking steps that will at least enhance the defensibility of their homes in the event of a wildfire,” said Steve Frye, the area operations manager for the Northwest Land Office of the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Kalispell.
In Montana, wildfires have raged across eastern part of the state over the last month, destroying 275 homes and burning over 214,000 acres, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Severe to extreme drought conditions have combined with high temperatures and low relative humidities, creating a maelstrom for fire crews.
“The fuel situation is as dry as I think they’ve seen in quite some time,” said Frye, who returned last week from a fire assignment outside Billings. “What they’ve experienced is fires growing rapidly from detection, going from zero to 100 acres in a very short period of time, especially in the lighter fuels like grass.”
Northwest Montana has averted significant wildfires so far thanks in large part to a wet spring. But the action has started creeping this direction.
The Elbow Pass Fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, in the Lewis and Clark National Forest southwest of Augusta, emerged July 12 and grew to 552 acres within three days. Cooler temperatures and rainfall last weekend aided the more than 130 personnel and four air tankers battling the blaze. The Chrandal Creek Fire, emerging July 6 in the Bitterroot National Forest 40 miles south of Darby, is currently over 1,800 acres with over 280 personnel involved in suppression efforts.
A wet June blanketed local forests and kept fuels green, helping limit local energy release components, an index that determines the volatility of fire fuels. The Flathead Valley’s index currently shows below average conditions, meaning trees and brush are favorable against an immediate outbreak. Local agencies remain at a normal preparedness level for this time of year, Frye said, but that could change in the coming weeks depending on hot weather trends.
“A few 100-degree days and 90-degree days can move you there pretty quickly,” Frye said. “There’s indications that it’s drying out.”
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering aid to Montana landowners impacted by recent fires. Funding is available to help with livestock grazing deferment and fencing and weed control, among other preventative and defensible actions. Landowners impacted by fires are encouraged to contact their local NRCS district conservationist for assistance.
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Stryker Clark, with the Lo Lo Hot Shots, leans on his tool handle last year while describing the day’s objectives. FILE PHOTO BY Lido Vizzutti | Flathead Beacon |
Frye is reminding residents that open burning season is over. Campfires are still allowed. Local agencies like the DNRC are urging homeowners to become “Fire Wise” and clean up fuels around their properties, like slash and other combustible items.
The first half of 2012 has seen the hottest average temperatures throughout the U.S. dating back to 1895, when records were first kept, according to a recent report released by the National Climatic Data Center. During June, when average temperatures were 4.5 degrees higher than the long-term average, 1.36 million acres burned nationwide, the second most on record, according to NOAA.
The National Interagency Fire Center released its Wildland Fire Outlook report for July through October last week. The report paints a dire picture for the coming months.
“Worsening drought conditions in the West are leading to below normal live and dead fuel moistures and above normal energy release components from the southern California mountains east through New Mexico and Colorado, and north through Montana and the Dakotas,” the report states.
Overall more than 1,000 counties in 26 states have been declared disaster areas because of drought conditions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the largest natural disaster declaration in history. A natural disaster declaration makes federal funding available to state and local agencies, as well as farmers and ranchers needing help combating drought and fire.
President Barack Obama has declared both Colorado and New Mexico as states completely under disaster status amid some of the largest and most destructive fires in the states’ histories. Among a statewide calamity, a fire near Fort Collins scorched more than 83,000 acres and 248 homes. The Whitewater-Baldy Complex in southwestern New Mexico has burned more than 170,272 acres, making it the largest in state history.
Last week Idaho became the latest state overwhelmed with fire activity. Eleven of the 40 largest fires are now in Idaho. A release from the USDA warned of critical fire weather arriving in the coming days across the West with the potential for dry lightning.
For information about preparing for fire season and defending your property, visit www.firewise.org.