KALISPELL - Stage I Fire Restrictions will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, for most of Northwest Montana — including Lincoln, Sanders and Flathead counties.
“You know, it's dry out there. We're below 50% of our rainfall for the year. We've had some real warm weather, And that really accelerated the drying. The other thing is we have had a lot of human-caused fires. And luckily, we've caught them,” said Flathead County Fire Warden Lincoln Chute.
Parts of Northwest Montana have received just over 5" of rain as of July 17, which is half of the yearly rainfall of 10.5". And with five human-caused fires sparking in just 48 hours, officials have decided it is time for Stage I Fire Restrictions.
“And it's a lot of work for the agencies and local fire departments when we do restrictions. We don't like doing them any more than the public, I'll tell you, but you know, at this time with the with the fire behavior conditions that we have, we believed it is the best for everybody,” said Chute.
Stage I Fire Restrictions mean no campfires are allowed and people need to avoid smoking in areas where the ground has combustible material. While it is not specifically stated in the Stage I Fire Restrictions, people should raise the mower blade to avoid hitting rocks and creating sparks when mowing or use a weed whacker to avoid any potential fires.
“We don't want any big fires here. We don't want anybody getting hurt. We don't want to lose homes,” said Chute.
Campfires in a metal fire ring are also prohibited under Stage I Fire Restrictions as well.
Current wildfire and restrictions information can be found at https://www.mtfireinfo.org/.
