The once idle Condon Mountain Fire flared up this week, growing 1,000 acres in the last 24 hours. As of Friday morning it had burned 3,333 acres and was 40 percent contained.
The U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will be hosting a public meeting on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Condon Community Hall. Although no evacuation orders have been set, a plan has been readied for such a scenario. The fire is currently burning about a mile and a half from private property, but no structures are at risk at this time.
On Wednesday, the fire flared up after a few weeks of little activity. The fire was ignited in late July by lightning. Thursday saw it make a run on the north slope of Smith Creek and the northern edge of the Cooney Creek drainage.
The fire’s growth this week raised concerns about possible evacuations in the Falls Creek area. An evacuation plan has been drafted and if needed would be coordinated by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Missoula County Emergency Service Office. The Forest Service has closed access to some trails in the area and a temporary flight restriction is in effect.
The Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management team has taken control of firefighting efforts. Additional firefighters arrived in Condon this week and on Friday morning 178 personnel were battling the blaze, along with four helicopters.