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Fire Restrictions Rescinded As Conditions Improve

Officials remind residents to be vigilant and always extinguish campfires

By Justin Franz

Rain and cool temperatures have reduced the fire danger enough in Northwest Montana for fire managers to rescind stage 2 fire restrictions across much of the region.

Stage 2 fire restrictions will be rescinded in Glacier National Park, Flathead and Kootenai national forests, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks lands at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The order rescinding restrictions on all other land in Flathead and Lake counties goes into effect immediately.

Sanders County has moved into stage 1 fire restrictions.

Stage 1 fire restrictions prohibit campfires outside of designated recreation sites or smoking anywhere outside of an enclosed vehicle or building.

Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit any and all campfires, smoking outside, operating a vehicle off road or use of a combustible engine, welding torch or explosives between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Although fire restrictions will no longer be in effect for the area, fire managers are still urging the public to be careful when recreating and to make sure they always fully extinguish campfires.

Most of the fires in Northwest Montana — including the 12,420-acre Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier National Park — have been slowed by the cool, wet weather that entered the area earlier this week.