Crews attack fires near Libby
A wildfire 4 miles northwest of Libby reached 30 acres in less than three hours Thursday afternoon, potentially threatening power transmission lines and requiring the precautionary deployment of a specially trained and equipped firefighting team as the fire moved to within 1.5 miles of a former vermiculite mine.
Firefighters from Libby Volunteer Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service fought the blaze from the ground, while about half a dozen helicopters and planes, including a so-called very large air tanker, dropped water and retardant from the sky, Libby District Ranger Nate Gassmann reported at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“We’re giving it everything we have,” he said, noting that additional resources, including a 20-person hotshot crew, were on order and expected later in the evening or by Friday morning.
The fire, reported on the north side of Route 37 about 4 p.m., “saw significant growth” in its first half hour, Gassmann said.
Fueled by grass, shrubs and timber, the fire raced up a steep slope across from an enclave of homes along the Kootenai River. Libby volunteer firefighters stationed water tenders at intervals and sprayed the burning ground from the roadside, with Second Assistant Chief Scott Beagle occasionally scrambling up the hillside with a hose in pursuit of flames.
They were soon joined by a Forest Service handcrew and the first two helicopters, which drew water from the river to douse the fire’s advancing edge.
At first, law enforcement personnel from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol allowed one lane of traffic at a time to pass, but as onlookers began to gather they eventually closed the highway.
No injuries were reported and no structures were threatened at 6:30 p.m., but Gassmann said the northwest expansion of the fire was a concern because it could threaten the Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines from Libby Dam.
In addition to aircraft and ground crews, Gassmann said heavy dozers and skidgens — a more nimble tracked vehicle with a smaller blade — had also been assigned to the fire.
It was too soon to know what caused the fire, he said, and he didn’t yet know what the overnight plan was.
Among the ground crews was a 10-person team trained to respond to fires within Operating Unit 3 of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site, which contains the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine. Gassmann said the team is equipped with respirators and trained in methods to protect against the risk of exposure to asbestos that could be disturbed during the course of fighting a fire.
However, Gassmann stressed that as of 6:30 p.m. Thursday, neither the team nor the fire were inside the Superfund unit, and that the team was being used as a resource as needed.
Meanwhile, the Zulu Fire north of Libby in the Kootenai National Forest remained at 20 acres Thursday with little growth since it was reported June 15. A Type 3 Incident Team, the lowest complexity level team, remained on scene in an effort to fully contain and extinguish the fire.
“Things are looking very good,” said Beau Macy, District Assistant Fire Management Officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Troy.
The fire was not threatening any structures, he said.
Farther south, the Reynolds Lake Fire burning on the Bitterroot National Forest tripled in size twice Wednesday as steady winds of 30 mph drove the blaze to more than 1,000 acres.
The lightning-cause fire was first reported July 17. It is burning in a remote and rugged mountain area southwest of Darby along the Montana and Idaho border.
According to public affairs officer Tod McKay with the Bitterroot National Forest, low winds Thursday were expected to slow the fire. Additional fire crews were en route to help the 75 personnel on scene.
In addition, two heavy air tankers and one very large air tanker continued to drop fire retardant to help contain the blaze, while two helicopters assisted ground crews with water drops.
The fire was burning in an area of heavy timber, dead stand and down fuels.
Air quality in much of Western Montana was rated as moderate due to the nearby fires and others burning across the Northwest.
Kristen Martin, air quality meteorologist with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said smoke impacts ranging from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups are expected through Saturday.
“By Sunday, it is difficult to predict what the smoke impacts will be in Montana, with the fire picture likely changing substantially over the next couple of days,” she said.
Air quality can be tracked online at www.TodaysAir.mt.gov.
Fire managers in the Flathead Valley on Wednesday raised the fire danger to high. The rating is very high in the Kootenai Forest.
“Hot dry weather is forecasted for the foreseeable future and grasses have quickly begun to dry and cure,” said Ali Ulwelling, forestry assistance specialist with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. “In addition, local firefighters have been called to assist as fire conditions in other areas of the country are extreme and requiring additional firefighting resources.”
Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.