Firefighters are trying to douse a 10-acre blaze on the Kootenai National Forest in remote Lincoln County.
The Zulu Fire was first discovered on Sunday morning about 23 miles north of Libby in the Zulu Creek drainage. Kootenai National Forest spokesperson Willie Sykes said at least one helicopter is being used to fight the fire. No structures are threatened by the fire at this time.
“They want to try and keep this fire as small as possible,” Sykes said Monday afternoon.
Officials believe the fire was started by lightning.
The fire is the first notable wildfire in northwest Montana this summer.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center’s monthly outlook that was published on July 1, there is “significant wild land fire potential” for the Idaho panhandle and the Kootenai National Forest in July. That potential could spread into the rest of western Montana in August and September.