Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 9.2.15

NEWS
Cool Weather Gives Firefighters a ‘Window of Opportunity,’ But
Season Far From Over
Evacuations lifted in Essex, Libby but restrictions remain in Heart Butte after fire rages on Blackfeet Reservation
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
While cool weather has helped firefighters gain ground on the more than one-dozen major fires burn- ing in Northwest Montana, officials say this year’s his- toric wildfire season is far from over.
As of Aug. 31, at least 193,000 acres have burned in major fires across the region from the Idaho border east to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. More than 270,000 acres have burned in all of Montana, making it the larg- est fire season since 2012.
A cold front swept across Northwest Montana during the final days of August, bringing considerably cooler temperatures and even some rain. But Flathead County Fire Service Area Manger Lincoln Chute said it’s not enough to calm the flames for good.
“We had a little rain but it didn’t put anything out and all we need is another warm day and we’re basically right back where we were,” Chute said. “But we have a window of opportunity to get some work done on these fires.”
The temporary reprieve comes after another hectic week on the fire lines across the region.
After a week on edge, the residents of Essex were ordered to evacuate on Aug. 27 as the nearby Sheep Fire doubled in size, scorching more than 2,000 acres in the Great Bear Wilderness. The rapid growth forced the closure of U.S. Highway 2 and BNSF Railway’s critical main line that connects the Midwest with the Pacific Northwest. On Aug. 31, the highway and railroad were reopened and residents were able to return home. However, the Sheep Fire and others have closed off a vast portion of the Flathead National Forest, including almost all of the Great Bear Wilderness.
A member of the Flathead Hotshot crew works on the Marston Fireline. INCIWEB PHOTO
dangerously close to the south end of town. On Aug. 29, about 20 homes were evacuated and many others along U.S. Highway 2 were put on notice when warm and windy weather fanned the fire that is one of seven being managed as the Goat Rock Complex on the Koo-
weather. Warm weather was expected to return during the first few days of September, which could easily dry out fuels. But cooler weather was expected to dominate the Labor Day weekend, with rain forecast for much of the region and even some snow in higher elevations. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dan Zumpfe said that temperatures would be 20 degrees below the seasonal average.
Despite the back-to-back cool-downs, meteorolo- gists and fire officials say it’s too early to know when a season-ending event will sweep across the region, and some projections call for the fire season lasting into October. Chute said that wouldn’t be surprising, noting that in years past, September has been one of the most active times for wildfire in Northwest Montana.
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Further east, fast moving winds fanned the 700- acre Spotted Eagle Fire into a 49,000-acre monster that surprised many when it made
a run for the Blackfeet Indian
Reservation on Aug. 28. The fire
forced evacuations in the Heart
Butte area, displacing hundreds
people, and as of Aug. 31 it was
unclear when anyone would be able to go home.
“There (was) a wall of fire everywhere you look,” said Willie Sharp Jr., a former tribal council member who was in the Heart Butte area when the fire blew up.
Residents in Libby were also forced from their homes over the weekend after the Klatawa Fire came
tenai National Forest. As of Aug. 31, the Klatawa Fire had burned more than 3,700 acres but local officials felt comfortable enough to let people return home.
As of Aug. 31, the largest fire in the state was the 67,000-acre Bear Creek Fire, which is actively burning east of Swan Lake. More than 80 fire- fighters are trying to protect buildings and structures in the area from both the Bear Creek Fire and the 21,000-
acre Trail Creek Fire.
Officials say what happens next all depends on the
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