Fire season getting rained out

Unusual August rains and cool temperatures have all but snuffed out the possibility of a big fire season in Northwest Montana.

According to Teresa Wenum of the Flathead National Forest, the fire danger as of Monday afternoon was low, and the prospect of any big burns this year is minute.

"Depending on what happens this fall, we might dry out some," she said. "But we're not anticipating any large fires in our neck of the woods now."

Wenum cautioned that a few days or weeks of hot weather could change the landscape in a hurry, but with September fast approaching with its higher chances for precipitation, it appears the threat of big burns has passed.

"Right now we don't have an active fire season, that's for sure," Wenum said.

So far this year, the largest fire on the Flathead National forest was the 6-acre Old Airstrip Fire that burned for less than a week just south of Woods Bay in early July.

The total acreage burned on the Flathead forest this year is 10.

Wenum acknowledged that 2009 started out with potential to be a rough year for fires due to a very dry June, but timely rains and the quick work of initial attack crews to squelch any fire starts have kept the blazes at bay.

Open burning is still banned until Sept. 30 and Wenum cautioned people to continue to use care when dealing with fire.