Early fires spell summer trouble
By MIKE RICHESON
Bigfork Eagle
A lightning storm that swept through Lake and Flathead counties July 13 sparked a fire on Crane Mountain that burned about three acres before being contained Monday morning.
The fire was located just east of Howsley Creek, about four miles east from Flathead Lake. Fire crews spent the weekend battling the blaze and shuttling from the Ferndale airport.
"We were able to get resources to the fire quickly," Paige Houston, assistant fire management officer for the Swan Ranger District, said.
The Forest Service sent 15 crew members to fight the fire, which was in an area of heavy downed timber. The crews were scheduled to stay until at least Tuesday evening.
A second fire just west of Swan Lake also broke out and burned about one-tenth of an acre near Yew Creek.
"We picked up five fires on the [Flathead National] Forest," Houston said. "We'll experience more lightning, and we could get a little more active."
Near record heat and plummeting humidity have created forests in prime condition for large fires. A graph on the Northern Rockies Coordination Center's Web site shows that the Energy Release Component (ERC) level has risen to a record high for this early in the fire season.
The ERC graph shows how hot a fire could burn and is a cumulative type of index. As live fuels cure and dead fuels dry, the ERC values get higher.
Other charts show that fuel moisture in the forests are at record lows.
"Our weather is extraordinary," Houston said. "If there had been any wind, we probably wouldn't have caught [the fire]. We're a month ahead, and we won't see any reprieve any time soon."
The 10-day forecast calls for continued heat in the mid- to high-90s with possible thunderstorms. Lightning strikes are already causing problems across northwest Montana.
Recent lightning activity and human actions have created several fire starts. Initial attack strategies by fire management personnel from Flathead and Kootenai National Forests, Glacier National Park, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and rural fire departments in Flathead, Lake, Lincoln and Sanders Counties have been successful in suppressing the fires.
Since July 11, there have been 13 new fire starts in Northwest Montana.
Most of the fires have been small in size, with the largest approximately 17 acres east of Lake Mary Ronan.
A fire by Holland Lake on the Flathead National Forest, south of Condon, is believed to have been initiated by human actions. The fire was controlled at approximately one-tenth of an acre. Logging operations contributed to two fire starts near Marion and southeast of Smith Lake. Both fires were suppressed with initial attack actions. Several unattended campfires were discovered on the Kootenai National Forest over the last several days.
Fire Prevention Specialist Marcy Goheen said: "It is imperative that people build safe campfires. Never leave your campfire unattended, and make sure it is dead out before leaving."
Dan Cassidy, DNRC Northwest Land Office Fire and Service Forestry Program Manager, said, "We are seeing conditions that we normally don't see until August." Due to the dry conditions, Cassidy said state aircraft support, including a white/yellow/black Huey helicopters and fire engines have been routinely responding to recent fire starts.
Fire restrictions are not yet in place in Northwest Montana. It is anticipated that continued hot temperatures and lack of moisture will prompt fire restrictions in the near future.
"We're looking at going to Stage 1 restrictions," Houston said. "Be cautious in the woods because fuel moistures are so dry. Things are going to take off."