Happy Friday, everyone! Fire activity remained minimal Friday morning on the Banana Lake Fire (pictured above) about 4 miles north of Plains, according to the latest update on the 833-acre blaze. About 235 firefighting personnel are working the fire, which is estimated to be 40 percent contained. Firefighters on Friday were continuing to hold and reinforce containment lines, and continuing mop-up work to extinguish residual heat sources around structures located on the fire’s northwest flank.

The fire has destroyed one structure to date, and federal firefighting cost estimates on the fire were at a little over $1 million as of Thursday. The fire is believed to have started on May 31, and its cause is still listed as undetermined on the government wildfire information website InciWeb.

While there were no evacuations or closures related to the fire Friday morning, drivers on Highway 28 should expect reduced speed limits, use extra caution and stay clear of the fire area.

Earlier this week, Dan Borsum, a fire weather forecaster with the Northern Rockies Coordinating Center in Missoula, had characterized the Banana Lake Fire as a precursor to the severe conditions expected to elevate wildfire risk in July across western Montana. Borsum, speaking at a 2025 fire season briefing in Helena on Monday, told Gov. Greg Gianforte and various agency administrators present that residents should prepare for an early start and a long fire season, especially if monsoonal moisture doesn’t recharge seasonal grasses late in the summer. You can read Managing Editor Tristan Scott’s full report on the fire briefing here.

Looking at the bigger picture, Borsum said that oceanic and equatorial temperatures being observed “have historically been associated with some of our critical years like 2006, 2017 and 2021.”

As for what kind of weather we can expect in the near-term, daily highs this weekend should settle into the low- to mid-80s, before we see a daily high in the low 90s on Monday. That heat is expected to persist at least through next Tuesday. Forecasters with the National Weather Service are attributing the warming and drying trend through early next week to strengthening high pressure in the region. That should do it for today’s fire and weather update. Now, let’s see what else is happening around the Flathead Valley. I’m Mike Kordenbrock, bringing you the Daily Roundup …

The home run derby format is coming to the Pioneer League, but with a twist. The Pioneer League is touting its take on the derby as “a first-of-its-kind 13-week in-season” tournament format.

The extended home run derby format means that fans will have multiple chances to observe the long ball competition throughout the summer, with the Pioneer League’s best hitters going head-to-head on Saturday nights from June through August.

Here’s how the Pioneer League described the competition format in an announcement earlier this week: “The Home Run Derby Night in the Pioneer League tournament consists of 72 head-to-head matchups between the top sluggers from the visiting team and the best mashers from the home squad. Each hitter gets two minutes to launch as many home runs as possible in a fast-paced showdown. In each head-to-head matchup, the player with the most home runs wins the matchup for his team. If one team wins both matchups, that team wins the match. If the teams split the two matchups, the winning hitters will advance to The Last Blast, where each hitter gets three swings to determine which team wins the match.

“Uniquely, the Home Run Derby Night in the Pioneer League matches will feature one Gold Home Run Derby Ball for each hitter that, if hit for a home run, will count for two homers.”

The top four home run hitting players, and top four winning teams will be eligible for cash prizes,

Fans will have a chance to win prizes by predicting the total number of home runs hit for each match. If a fan registers those predictions, they’ll be entered into a sweepstakes with grand prizes including two tickets and a $1,000 travel voucher for the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.

Full standings will be updated here. The Glacier Range Riders have their first derby matchup at home on June 28 against the Great Falls Voyagers. While it’s too early to say just who might represent the Range Riders in their derby debut, it can’t hurt to take a peek at the team’s home run leaders through the first 15 games. The current home run leader for the Range Riders is outfielder Kingston Liniak, who has tallied four on the season so far. Behind Liniak, infielder Xavier Casserilla, catcher Angel Mendoza and outfielder JD McLaughlin all have two homers.