The Boulder 2700 Fire burning more than 1,000 acres east of Flathead Lake near Polson has burned 8 primary structures and 17 secondary structures as of this afternoon, according to incident officials. Evacuation orders issued July 31 for residents along Highway 35 from mile marker 6 to 13 on the east side of Flathead Lake, including all of Finley Point, remain in effect.

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.

Gov. Greg Gianforte joined six other western governors Friday in a meeting with President Joe Biden to talk about wildfires. Thousands of acres are burning across the state of Montana amid a severe drought and high temperatures.

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.

Heading into what has turned out to be a severe fire season, the state of Montana set a goal to more than double the amount of forest acres it logs, controlled burns and treats to reduce the risk of wildfire on communities. This year’s target represents a sliver of the acreage managers say is critical to address.

As more than 20 fires burn in Montana, a debate over how to manage forests to prepare for burns flared up in a Bozeman City Commission meeting Tuesday night. Commissioners narrowly passed a measure to support a controversial logging project.

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.