The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation reported a new wildfire start southwest of Kalispell on Monday morning.
The fire, currently estimated at 8 acres, is burning in grass, brush and timber in the Patrick Creek area. Forty-seven personnel are working on the fire, including two helicopters, to try and stop it from spreading. There have been no structures lost, but multiple homes are threatened and pre-evacuation orders for nearby homes have been put in place.
Officials also asked that residents avoid Patrick Creek Road for their own safety. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Over the weekend, the Rocky Mountain Ranger District, which encompasses the eastern half of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Scapegoat Wilderness in the Lincoln Ranger District, implemented fire restrictions in response to two human-caused fires in the area.
“It is disappointing to have to return to Stage 1 fire restrictions in October, and this is not something we take lightly,” Rocky Mountain District Ranger Mike Munoz said in a press release from the U.S. Forest Service.