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montana wildfire roundup

Firefighters have been working to construct fire lines and prep structures in anticipation of the thunderstorms predicted to blow into Western Montana Thursday afternoon.

"It's going to be a challenging day, no doubt about it," said Bill Swartley, an information officer on the Brush Creek Fire.

The Brush Creek Fire, 25 miles west of Whitefish, ran again Wednesday, and triggered an 'evacuation request' for residences northeast of the blaze.

Fires in Southcentral Montana are getting more attention and resources as fire season rolls on. The Wicked Hicks Complex is growing steadily, now totaling 22,400 acres. Crews there are prepping structures and steadying themselves for predicted dicey weather. Meanwhile, the Columbine Fire in Yellowstone National Park grew enough to force the park to close the eastern entrance for the second time this week.

A new fire, the Black Cat, flamed up northwest of Missoula Tuesday, forced the immediate evacuation of some 30 homes near Evaro west of Highway 93 and north of Interstate 90. And east of Missoula, the Sawmill Complex near Rock Creek spread significantly over the last two days, growing by over 13,000 acres to 41,705. About 77 homes and cabins, not all occupied, were evacuated by 8 a.m. Wednesday. [more]

montana wildfire roundup

The Jocko Lakes Fire west of Seeley Lake made another run Monday, this time to the north, but elsewhere in Montana things were relatively quiet Monday, giving crews a chance to reinforce fire lines and prepare for a frontal system may move across much of western Montana Thursday, possibly bringing with it windy conditions and strong to severe thunderstorms.

The Columbine fire in Yellowstone National Park, which started Thursday by a lightning strike, was mapped at 10,000 acres Tuesday morning. After closing the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, it is now reopened, and rangers are posted at the gates to close it back down if the fire shifts. The fire slowed yesterday and it should remain quieter over the next couple of days, incident commander Mark Grant said.

Here's a full roundup of the large fires burning in Montana... [more]

fire up to 18,600 acres

Thursday's big news from the Jocko Lakes Fire is that the evacuation order issued for residences and businesses on the east side of Highway 83 was lifted -- conditionally.

The reopened area is along Golf Drive east of Highway 83 and between the town of Seeley Lake and the Double Arrow Resort. Highway 83 itself remains restricted.

Fire information officer Tom Kempton said the reopening is "all dependent on fire behavior," and that anyone heading back to these areas must be prepared to evacuate within 90 minutes should fire officials deem it necessary.

On Thursday much of firefighters' attention was focused on the fire's northeast flank, closest to Seeley Lake, where the fire jumped containment line Wednesday. Crews have been building dozer line and conducting burnout operations in the Archibald Creek area and along the Westside Bypass, or 2190. CL-215 "super scoopers" dumped a tremendous amount of water on that edge Thursday, Kempton said.

Officials "feel pretty comfortable" with the contingency line firefighters have constructed there, where many of the 1,500 threatened structures stand to the east, along the west shore of the lake. But, Kempton warned, "there's still lots of fire out there, lots of fire to get line around." [more]

Montana Fire Season

SEELEY LAKE -- The Jocko Lakes Fire near Seeley Lake acted up again Wednesday, spreading again on the fire's new trouble spot-- the northeast flank.

There, Dogtown, a subdivision of Seeley Lake, is threatened and crews were pulled off other sides of the fire to help combat the growth.

The fire is now estimated at 16,800 acres, 1,800 more acres than estimates from Wednesday morning. And, "it's growing right as we speak," incident commander Glen McNitt said Wednesday night.

As the fire spread northeast, the incident command team on the fire was with out two of its "super scooper" CL-215 airplanes, which have been a big help to crews in securing fire line over the last few days.

"During that time, that was a critical time, when it crossed the line," McNitt said.

The fire had not yet reached Boy Scout Road, which runs along the west shore of Seeley Lake. Boy Scout Road is the trigger point for evacuating the town of Seeley Lake.

The fire, which ignited Friday, is threatening some 1,500 primary structures and 675 homes are still evacuated around Placid Lake, in Dogtown and in the Double Arrow Ranch subdivision on the southeast side of the fire. [more]

give me land, lots of land ...

Nationally, the price of agricultural land is climbing steadily, and land prices in several Rocky Mountain States are leading the way.

Throughout the region, an acre of farmland costs about 18 percent more than it would have at this time last year, according to a report released Friday by the Agricultural Statistics Board, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.

In Montana in particular, the going rate for an acre of irrigated farmland jumped $900 last year, by 32 percent to a total of $3,700. The average piece of an acre of farmland under the Big Sky runs about $960, that’s a 20 percent jump over 2006. And in Wyoming, the price of farm real estate jumped by 24 percent to about $560 an acre. The cost of non-irrigated cropland in Wyoming is up 45 percent over last year, with irrigated lands rising by 13 percent. In Utah, the average price of an acre of farmland is $2,550, up 23 percent. Nationally, since 1998, the cost of one acre of farmland went up by just more than $1,000.

Many factors are driving the trend, including an influx of people buying agricultural lands for housing and recreation, but rising commodity prices, especially in corn, could also be a factor, says Peggy Stringer, Director of the Montana Field Office of the USDA. [more]

montanans crankin' the ac

On Monday energy demand in Montana hit an all-time high, for the third time this month.

As the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports today, Montana's record-setting hot summer is leading to record-setting energy use -- more and more Montanans are cranking up the air conditioning.

The Chronicle quotes Northwestern Energy spokeswoman Brandy Powers as saying, "Historically, it used to be pretty rare for people in Montana to have air conditioning, and now, with the temperatures we're seeing, it's not rare anymore."

Energy demand in Montana reached 1,724 megawatts Monday afternoon. One megawatt can power up to 400 homes. With temperatures expected to climb over the weekend, the trend is likely to continue.

Click here for the full story by Walt Williams. [more]

Montana Fire Roundup

The Meriwether Fire in the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness surged Thursday nearly tripling in size, from 2,200 acres to 6,019. An evacuation order was issued for the residents of 60-plus homes along the Missouri River, on top of the 40-some asked to evacuate late Wednesday.

Late in the day Thursday winds shifted and pushed the fire back into areas already burned. Although temperatures are expected to be in the 80s Friday, extreme fire behavior and dry thunderstorms are predicted for the next couple of days, fire information officer Bonney McNabb said.

"That could be a factor, you better believe it," she said.

Crews have secured a fire line for the south flank of the fire near Eldorado, one of the areas currently under evacuation, McNabb said. And structure protection is now in place for homes in the American Bar Area west of the fire.

Lighting started the fire on July 21 in the Mann Gulch Area, near the Meriwether Guard Station.

Almost 60 years ago, on August 5, 1949, a fire near the Meriwether Guard Station killed 12 smoke jumpers and a national guardsman. [more]

montana wildfire roundup

Update: 9:45 p.m. The Meriwether Fire in the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness surged Thursday nearly tripling in size, from 2,200 acres to 6,018. An evacuation order was issued for the residents of 60-plus homes along the Missouri River, the AP reports, on top of the 40-some asked to evacuate late Wednesday.

The Missouri River was closed from American Bar to Main Bar, and personnel at the Eldorado mine voluntarily evacuated Thursday, the fire camp reported.

Some residents of the American Bar subdivision, which was within 1 ½ miles of the blaze, refused to comply with the initial evacuation order early Thursday, though most eventually did, according to the AP.

The lightning-ignited fire, about 37 miles northwest of Helena, is burning in timber, grass and brush.

Meanwhile, firefighters are having success quieting Montana's Ahorn Fire, the state's largest of the season so far. The fire is nine percent contained.

The blaze has consumed 15,000 acres in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Lewis and Clark National Forest. It hasn't spread significantly since Monday. [more]

missoula's marquee

Missoula’s Wilma Theatre is about to get a makeover.

The Wilma is under contract to be purchased by the Rocky Mountain Development Group and revived as a cultural showplace.  The restored theatre will feature regular performances of spoken word, dance and live concerts, while the building’s apartments will be converted to condominiums and sold.

“We’d like to have as diverse an offering as we can,” says Rick Wishcamper, president of the Rocky Mountain Development Group, a local real estate company specializing in acquisition, rehabilitation and management of existing multifamily housing, and soon to be owner of the Wilma Theatre.

After nearly four months of negotiations with the current owner, Tracy Blakeslee, it looks as though the $4.25 million deal will close October 1, Wishcamper said.

missoula children's theatre documentary

Each year the Missoula Children's Theatre with its little red trucks visits more than 1,000 communities in North America and beyond and recruits young students to perform full-scale musicals. Everything needed to put on a performance is packed into the trucks -- scenery, costumes, props, make-up, etc. -- and it's all done in one week. The only thing missing is the cast.

Rob Whitehair and Pam Voth's upcoming documentary film "The Little Red Truck" chronicles MCT's tour over the course of a week as children in six different communities simultaneously prepare for their performances. The week begins with MCT's arrival on Monday and the subsequent casting call that brings in dozens of local kids, six days of intense rehearsals, and finally the performance of the musical on two consecutive evenings.

The film is expected to be completed in September. Click here to watch the trailer. [more]

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