Fire torches countryside

As the Leader went to press Tuesday night, an uncontrolled fire burned near Irvine Flats Road and the surrounding countryside approximately 10 miles west of Polson.

The fire began at about 5:48 p.m. on Monday evening in the Garceau and Windy Gap area. Known as the West Garceau fire, within hours of starting, the blaze had sent a towering cloud of dark smoke into the sky that was visible for miles around.

“It started out as an approximately 40-acre fire and has ballooned to a 300-acre fire,” said CSKT Division of Fire Chief Curt Matt on Tuesday morning.

Persistent wind fanned the flames throughout the day, and by the afternoon, the fire covered an estimated 2,000 acres.

Multiple fire departments responded to the scene, while planes and helicopters from as far as Missoula also helped to combat the inferno.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“We really don’t know what started it,” Matt reported.

Fueled by a combination of dry timber and grassland, the rapidly spreading fire began to threaten rural homes by Tuesday afternoon, causing about 15 residents to be evacuated. According to scanner traffic, at least one structure was reported to have caught fire.

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