Moderate fire season ahead

IRVINE FLATS — Recent dry, hot weather and lightening combined for a firey Friday last week.

A small fire in Irvine Flats sparked when lightening struck a tree at about 7:30 a.m.

While the fire was easily extinguished and there was no major damage, it’s a sign of things to come, Polson Rural Fire District Chief John Fairchild said.

“It’s pretty dry up there,” he said. “You know, another month, and it’s going to be a whole ‘nother story.”

The Valley floor is green, but quickly drying out, he said, warning that the dry conditions make burning a risky proposition.

The National Interagency Fire Center’s May prediction expects that cooler and wetter than normal weather in western Montana will hold off the fire season’s onset to mid-to-late July.

According to the center, south-central Montana will be the first to see significant wildland fire activity, with the brunt of fire season in western Montana and Idaho going full-swing in August. Monday, two wildland fires burned in Pioneer, near Wise River, and Rumsey Gulch, near Philipsburg.

After a spell of high temperatures, this week saw cooler temperatures and damp conditions, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms continuing through the weekend and highs in the low-to-mid 60s.

Regardless of weather, burn permits from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Division of Fire are required before any burn, Fairchild said. Also make sure to call your local fire department to tell them where and when you plan to burn.

When burning, take precautions, Fairchild said.

“The biggest thing is be prepared. Have a shovel. Have a bucket of water.”

Also, pay close attention to the wind speed and direction.

“The first thing that I always hear is, I didn’t expect the wind to come up or change like that,” he said about what people say when fires get out of control.

If you’re not burning, but you see smoke, call dispatch as soon as possible, Fairchild added.

“Just because a lot of these places are kind of remote, and we have to get back there to them.”

People who start fires, even with permits, are responsible for any damages caused if the fires get out of control, he said.

CSKT Division of Fire can be reached at 676-2550 and dispatch can be reached at 883-7301.

For more on fire predictions, go to www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov, where an updated fire potential outlook will be issued June 1. For up-to-date fire information, go to www.inciweb.org.