Campfires and other activities that could spark wildfires are being banned across parts of western Montana as dry, hot weather creates extreme risk for wildfires.
The Lolo and Bitterroot national forests raised their fire danger to “extreme,” the highest of five levels, earlier this week. Missoula County followed suit Wednesday afternoon.
And the Lolo and Bitterroot forests; Missoula and Ravalli counties; Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes all enacted Stage-2 fire restrictions, which outright prohibit campfires in any circumstance and a host of other activities that can cause wildfires.
Flames shoot up from the Miller Peak fire as it burns north of Holloman Saddle in the northern Sapphire Mountains on Monday, July 15, 2024. The fire ignited Sunday and approached 2,000 acres burned on Wednesday.
The national forest restrictions cover all lands within the Bitterroot National Forest. The CSKT restrictions cover lands within the Flathead Reservation. Missoula County’s restriction covers all private property in the county, except inside Missoula city limits. (Campfires are always illegal in Missoula.) The Lolo and Bitterroot forests and Missoula County restrictions take effect Friday. The CSKT restrictions take effecting beginning Saturday.
