The Latest
—Garden Creek Fire burns 200 acres near Hot Springs
—Ten Mile Fire doubles in size to 100 acres
—Red flag warning in effect until midnight east of the divide
Updated: Aug. 3, 12:10 p.m.
Stiff winds and hot temperatures fueled a number of wildfires across Northwest Montana Thursday and firefighters are bracing for yet another busy day on the fire line.
Two miles north of Hot Springs, the Garden Creek Fire grew to 200 acres on Thursday afternoon. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire Specialist C.T. Camel said firefighters are using bulldozers to dig fire line around the blaze that is currently burning on the boundary of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the Lolo National Forest.
In Lincoln County, the Ten Mile Fire near Lake Koocanusa more than doubled in size on Thursday from 40 acres to 100 acres. A Type 2 incident management team took over firefighting efforts on Friday morning. Other fires burning on the Kootenai National Forest include the Davis Fire near Yaak which burned 215 acres as of Thursday and the Porcupine Fire west of Rexford that had burned 12 acres at last report.
A new fire was also reported on Thursday in the Bob Marshall Wilderness near Brown Sandstone Peak, east of Condon. An exact acreage was unknown as of Friday morning.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for areas east of the Continental Divide, including the east side of Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation until midnight.
This story will be updated when additional information becomes available.