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The Latest
—Moss Ranch Fire grows to 450 acres near Ronan
—Firefighters plan to ignite 5,600 acres today as part of burnout operation
—Fire near Missoula forces trail closure
Updated: 9:25 a.m., July 26
Warm, dry conditions helped the Moss Ranch Fire southwest of Ronan grow to 450 acres on Thursday.
The lightning-caused fire started on Tuesday and has been growing ever since on the Flathead Indian Reservation, according to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire.
On Friday morning, fire officials said the fire moved to the north in the last 24 hours, burning through grass and timber in rugged terrain on the west side of the Flathead River. No structures are threatened, but two roads — Nenemay Road and FB-4000 Road — remained closed to the public.
Firefighters are preparing for a major burnout operation this afternoon to starve the fire of fuel. If conditions remain favorable, firefighters expect to purposely ignite more than 5,600 acres of land along the river. Officials were telling the public that the fire would be particularly active this afternoon.
As of Friday, 160 people were assigned to the fire. A Type 3 incident management team is heading up firefighting efforts.
Further south, a number of trails have been closed in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area near Missoula as a result of the lightning-caused Beeskove Fire. That fire had burned 35 acres as of Friday morning.
This story will be updated when additional information becomes available.