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Firefighters Continue to Battle Montana Wildfires

Residents of about 30 homes in Mineral County have been evacuated

By Justin Franz
Crews work to contain the Lazier Creek Fire near Middle Thompson Lake on July 10, 2017. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

HELENA — A fire in the Lolo National Forest in western Montana has grown to about 6.7 square miles (17 kilometers).

Residents of about 30 homes in Mineral County have been evacuated and another 30 are threatened.

The fire about 12 miles southeast of Superior was ignited by lightning on July 16. There are about 420 firefighters aided by helicopters battling the fire. They have managed to contain about 5 percent of the fire.

Firefighters are battling other fires in the Lolo forest as well as in the Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Bitterroot, Helena and Lewis and Clark national forests. Grass fires also are being fought in other areas of the state.