Page 47 - Bitterroot National News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Friday Night Was Worst Air Quality Yet In Bitterroot As the Storm Creek Fire jumped in size about 1,000 acres Friday, the resulting smoke flowed into the middle of the Bitterroot Valley, causing the Hamilton Air Monitor to dip down into the "Unhealthy" level for most of the night until early Saturday morning, July 24. Then, the levels quickly moved back into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and "Moderate." The Storm Creek Fire is the main source of wildfire smoke this week and is now estimated at 6,183 acres, according to Saturday's report from the Bitterroot National Forest. The Selway-B...

Idaho Fires Deliver The Smoke to Bitterroot Wednesday night, the 3,500-acre Storm Creek Fire sent an extra helping of smoke into the Victor area of the Bitterroot Valley. Residents thought there was a fire close by. The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office checked with forest officials and reported the smoke was from the Storm Creek Fire, the largest fire in the Powell Ranger District in the Selway-Bitterroot. The Storm Creek Fire is about 4 miles west of the Montana-Idaho border (see map above) and Mike Martin of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest said the wilderness fire has the potential ...

Five Lightning-Caused Forest Fires in Bitterroot Thunderstorms Thursday, July 1, started five small fires on the Bitterroot National Forest, according to Tod McKay in a wildfire update Friday afternoon. Response to the fires was quick. Four of the fires were south of Darby. The forest is under a "full suppression" strategy. No structures were threatened Friday and some of the fires (a quarter-acre or smaller) were already extinguished. The largest fire is the Woods Creek Fire in the upper West Fork, above Painted Rocks Reservoir, south of Razorback Mountain. The Friday size estimate was 20 ac...

Over two weeks earlier than last year, the Bitterroot National Forest has raised the fire danger level to High on the national forest land. Tod McKay said that at this level, fires will start from most causes and unattended brush and campfires will most likely spread. Last year, July 15th was the first day of High Fire Danger. Already, there have been 11 human-caused fires and 5 lightning fires on the Bitterroot National Forest. Fire Management Officer Mark Wilson said in a news release that "we are several weeks ahead of normal with our current conditions resembling mid-to-late July. Things ...

Bitterroot Forest Rock Climbing Virtual Meeting Rock climbing has increased in popularity in the Bitterroot National Forest. As a result, a year-long development of a comprehensive "climbing management plan" is now underway. In a news release, public affairs officer Tod McKay invited the public to a virtual meeting concerning the plan's progress. The online meeting will be June 2 at 5:30 p.m. Two hours have been set up to discuss the current needs and possibilities for climbers throughout the forest, not just the popular places such as Mill Creek. This is one of several meetings planned. The ...