Missoula County issues emergency wildfire proclamation

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) With the fire danger now listed at “very high,” Missoula County on Tuesday took the nearly annual step of issuing an emergency wildfire proclamation and said the potential for “extreme” fire danger may be near.

The air quality in Missoula and elsewhere in western Montana also hovered at “unhealthy” levels while some pockets hit “very unhealthy” levels.

“It's been hot, it's been dry, and we're at this point,” said Chris Lounsbury, the county's chief administrative officer. “This proclamation gives our emergency manager and partners the authority they may need to do evacuations and emergency road closures if we get to a point where we have some active fire.”

While the fire season in western Montana has been relatively quiet, the potential for increased activity is prime. Temperatures are forecast to push into the upper 90s later this week and remain hot and dry for the next few weeks.

Lounsbury said Tuesday's emergency proclamation streamlines the county's response to fire activity, giving fire partners addition authority to make decisions in critical situations.

“It doesn't seem like it's a big step, but it's a big step,” Lounsbury said.

West of Missoula in the Lolo National Forest, fire crews continued to make progress on the Elder 1 fire, which was listed at 84% contained on Tuesday morning. Roughly 250 personnel were assigned to the blaze.

The Spokane complex fires had nearly 1,000 personnel assigned to the incident, which remained highly active on Tuesday. The three fires that are part of the complex have scorched more than 10,000 acres, according to figures updated Monday night. Initial estimates indicate around 700 homes and other buildings had burned.

Missoula County officials said protocol is in place if such an event were to ignite locally.

“That is what we practice for, is those kinds of large-scale events where we have to do evacuations and closures,” Lounsbury said. “We have an incident management team as part of our Office of Emergency Management. That's part of what they practice and prep for.”

County commissioners urged homeowners to clear their home ignition zone and sign up for Smart 9-11.