According to the National Inter-agency Fire Center, fire threat is currently rated at a 2 on a sale of 1-5. Thus far, 2009 has proven to be a relatively mild season for fires. I recall years where from downtown Bozeman, one could not even see the Bridgers, let alone the Gallatin Range. We’ve seen some residual effects from the big fires in British Columbia earlier this summer and as we head into fall, the NIFC is only reporting 2 wildland fires in the state. One is on Lawrence Mountain in the Kootenai National Forest, about 16 miles NE of Libby. This fire is burning roughly 1,072 acres and it is unknown how much of it is contained. The second fire, a little closer to home, is 23 miles SW of Phillipsburg, but has only burned just over 100 acres.
Seemingly due to the large amount of snow and rainfall we’ve seen this year, we’re lucky to see such a green fall season. For more information and daily updates on fire status, visit the NIFC’s website at https://www.nifc.gov/
