Firefighters are quickly trying to control the Stoner Creek fire that started Sunday night along Blacktail Road in Lakeside. As of Monday, the fire had grown to 91 acres, according to the Flathead National Forest. Officials are worried that dry fuels, hot weather and unpredictable winds could cause the fire to blow up, according to Flathead National Forest Public Information Officer Wade Muehlhof.
“Anything we can get our hands on for resources right now, we’re trying to get,” he said.
As of Monday morning, seven engines, one bulldozer and three helicopters were working the blaze. No structures are currently at risk, Muehlhof said. The fire is located just east of the site of the 2009 Baldy Fire.
On Sunday, local firefighters doused an 80-acre grain fire near Creston, according to Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Fire Prevention Specialist Ali Ulwelling.
The cause of both fires are under investigation, but Ulwelling said with dry conditions this week, it is important for the public to be vigilant.
“It’s hot and dry and we’ve been lucky up here so far,” she said. “Most of the starts we’ve had have been human caused; campfires running away and equipment in fields.”