MTPR News

Montana fire officials estimate approximately 38 residences have been lost to fires this year, and roughly 600 people are displaced from their homes due to evacuation orders on nine fires.

A mandatory evacuation order is in effect in the Finley Point area east of Polson due to the Boulder 2700 Fire. The fire has jumped Highway 35, which was closed to southbound traffic at Blue Bay around 2 a.m. As of 4 a.m. Sunday the mandatory evacuation orders include the Skidoo Lane and Finley Point areas, and from mile marker 6 through mile marker 12 on Highway 35. People south of mile marker 6 should be prepared to evacuate.

The Broadwater County Sheriff issued a mandatory evacuation Friday night near the Woods Creek Fire for east of Highway 284, everything from Gravely Lane south through Dry Gulch. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire says an evacuation order has been issued to homes below a fire near Highway 35, about eight miles east of Polson.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s office has issued a pre-evacuation warning for additional areas near the South Yaak Fire burning 4 miles northwest of Troy.

Strong winds have pushed the 9,500-acre American Fork Fire west, leading to pre-evacuation warnings for the Shields River and Smith Creek communities. Fire Operations Section Chief Shawn Nagle says residents should consider evacuating even though it’s not mandatory.

The Broadwater County Sheriff has issued a mandatory evacuation order for people living near the Woods Creek Fire burning near Boulder Lakes in the Big Belt Mountains. The Sanders County Sheriff Tuesday evening issued evacuation orders for the northeast side of the power lines in Ashley due to the Thorne Creek Fire burning roughly 6 miles northeast of Thompson Falls.

The Kootenai National Forest says evacuations are underway in Lincoln County where the South Yaak Fire has spread northward. In Broadwater County, the Sheriff's Department has issued a pre-evacuation warning west of White Sulphur Springs due to the Woods Creek Fire.

We’re hungry for stories about people digging in their heels or searching for common ground, and where that journey takes them. Our hunch is that any number of Montana individuals, families, neighbors and communities are facing (or have gone through) their own unique disunion.

New pre-evacuation warnings for Harlow and Ashley areas went into effect Monday due to the Thorne Creek Fire burning more than 5,600 acres near Thompson Falls, according to a fire news release.

10 p.m.: The Cascade County Sheriff's Office has issued a mandatory evacuation order near Cascade for all residents south of Mile Marker 7 on Adel Road. The sheriff's office says people should pack their essential items and house pets and leave their residence immediately. First responders will not come rescue anyone who decides to stay.