Tree falling on power line causes wildfire near Troy

Crews were sent to the Pine Creek fire around 6:44 p.m. The fire is located 9 miles northwest of Troy, burning in a forested area about 1,900 feet east of U.S. Highway 2 and approximately half a mile east of the adjacent Kootenai River. Satellite imagery shows a power line running through the forest in the area of the fire.

By Wednesday morning, the fire had grown to about 10 acres according to interagency dispatch logs and the Kootenai National Forest. The forest reported that 20 personnel, along with fire engines and heavy equipment, responded to the blaze and established containment lines around it. Mop-up operations were scheduled to continue on Wednesday.

The Pine Creek fire, along with three smaller fires that were contained to less than a quarter-acre and extinguished on Tuesday night, were attributed to the wind event that occurred the day before. Strong winds in the area were recorded at 17 mph with gusts up to nearly 40 mph before firefighters were dispatched on Tuesday.

Wildfires caused by trees falling onto power lines due to wind, or by wind causing power lines to detach or topple, have drawn increased attention in recent years following costly settlements against utility companies. One notable example is the 2018 Camp fire in California that was ignited by power line failure during a wind event, resulting in significant damages and fatalities.

Utility company PG&E has faced substantial penalties for wildfires caused by power line failures during windy conditions. The company was fined for fires such as the 2021 Dixie fire, 2020 Zogg fire, 2019 Kincaid fire, and 2019 Easy fire, all ignited by power lines in windy weather.

As a preventive measure, some utilities have opted to proactively shut off power during high wind events to reduce the risk of wildfires. PG&E and Xcel Energy are among the companies that have implemented this strategy to mitigate fire hazards.

In another part of Montana, a small wildfire near the Blue Mountain off-road motorcycle trailhead on Blue Mountain Road was quickly contained on Tuesday afternoon. The fire was estimated to be less than a tenth of an acre in size.

As of Wednesday, fire danger levels in Missoula County and surrounding national forests were moderate, indicating a moderate risk of fire spread under dry and windy conditions. Residents and visitors were advised to exercise caution when using fire in the area.

On Wednesday, fire danger on the Flathead National Forest was low, and no fire restrictions were in place in western Montana as of that day.