Fire near Condon is still growing, smoke disrupts sporting events

With clearing clouds and inversion combined with warm temperatures this week, the fire near Condon is expected to continue backing and flanking into the Cooney Creek drainage on the southern flank and toward the Swan River Valley on the western flank.

On Tuesday afternoon, the fire covered 4,450 acres; on Friday morning it had crossed Smith Creek on its southeast flank, and was 3,333 acres.

Then on Monday morning the fire was 4,240 acres in size.

The lightning-caused fire was detected on July 28 in steep terrain high on the Swan Range. It became mostly dormant at the end of August, and firefighting resources were gradually withdrawn, leaving only 10 people on the fire by Aug. 30.

Now there are nearly 180 people back on the fire, along with eight pieces of heavy equipment, water tenders and four helicopters. Super Scooper air tankers have been periodically deployed on the fire.

Smoke from the fire was affecting air quality in the Seeley Lake area, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s wildfire smoke update.

Bigfork hosted the Great Falls vs. Missoula football game on Friday due to smokey air in the area that evening.

High school sports in Stevensville and Hamilton were postponed on Friday as well. The sub-varsity football and soccer game between Corvallis and Frenchtown was moved to Frenchtown because of the smokey air too.

For more information and to keep up to date on the status of the fire throughout the week, go to www.incini web.org and select “Condon Mountain.”