Fire scorches Polson Hill

POLSON - A fast-moving wildfire torched 5.5 acres of a residential Polson neighborhood Wednesday night, requiring the efforts of multiple area fire departments to bring under control.

On Thursday morning, Polson chief fire investigator John Fairchild said that the cause of the fire had been determined, but he declined to provide further details at the time. Fairchild did suggest that the fire was started by people “playing with something they shouldn’t have.”

The blaze was ignited around 7:30 p.m., near the Mission Valley Aquatic Center and the Ridgewater subdivision on Polson Hill. Fanned by wind, the fire spread quickly through dry grass in the area and engulfed a number of trees, as well. Numerous fire trucks descended on the scene, and by nightfall responders appeared to have doused the flames.

Many high-end homes are in the neighborhood on Polson’s east side, but all structures were spared damage. Fairchild reported that the fire came practically to the doorstep of some houses on Long Lake Drive.

“All it had to do was jump the road,” said Fairchild. “We had an engine there [just in case].”

The fire came just hours before the Flathead Reservation was set to enter into Stage I fire restrictions.

“It’s dry. No open flame burning,” Fairchild reminded citizens on Thursday.

Fire personnel from Polson, Ronan, Finley Point and the Tribal Division of Fire responded to the incident. Crews remained on-site until 2 a.m. and hot-spots were still being monitored Thursday morning, according to Fairchild.