Lightning Causes At Least 5 Fires in Bitterroot Forest

Thunderstorms July 4 and July 5 brought lots of lightning, but very little rain over the Bitterroot National Forest, according to fire officials. Crews were sent to at least five small forest fires in the south end of the Bitterroot Valley. Rainfall amounts were only 8/100ths of an inch (at the most). The forest fire listing is below, with information from the "Discover Bitterroot National Forest" Facebook page:

Two-Bear Fire - contained Sunday in the Little Sleeping Child near Bald Top Mountain. Four firefighters contained the blaze at a quarter-acre Sunday.

Two Buck Fire - up the West Fork, west of Blue Joint on the Montana-Idaho border. Two firefighters were sent to this 1/10th acre fire.

Martin Creek Fires 1, 2 and 3 - All three are less than 1/10th acre and nine firefighters were staffing those lightning strikes in the Martin Creek drainage, in the East Fork of the Bitterroot on the Darby/Sula District.

Air patrols and lookouts will watching for "holdover" lightning-caused blazes for the next few days. More thunderstorms are predicted.

Filed Under: Forest Fires, Lightning

Categories: Missoula News