Minimal fire activity was reported on the Roaring Lion Fire south of Hamilton Wednesday morning, August 24.

The Incident Command report shows the fire having burned 8,520 acres and remains 70 percent contained. Almost a hundred people are assigned to the fire, patrolling the neighborhoods and putting out fires that are popping up in unburned areas inside the perimeter.

Helicopters and single engine air tankers (SEATs) are dropping water and retardant on small blazes that have popped up mainly on upper Ward Mountain in the bowl area and up the Sawtooth Canyon on the northwest corner of the fire.

Meanwhile, smoke in the Bitterroot Valley continues to come from two wilderness fires in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. The Moose Fire, about 8 miles from the Bitterroot National Forest boundary is estimated at over 4,000 acres by fire managers of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. It blew up on Sunday with high winds. Those winds spread smoke into the valley through the east-west canyons, mainly Blodgett and Mill Creek canyons.

North of the Moose Fire is the Cedar Fire, about 3,600 acres. That lightning-caused blaze has been growing slowly north and south. It is up against some previous burned areas and has not grown as fast as the Moose fire. Both fires are being monitored by Idaho Forest Service personnel.

Smoke is expected from all these fires through the end of fire season, when the weather cools down and we start getting forecasts of snow.

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