Montana News Roundup: Fires Bring Road Closures, Evacuations

A rapidly spreading fire in the southern Madison Valley has closed the main highway and forced evacuations, as the Horn Fire, which started from lightning on Wednesday, has topped 2000 acres of open country.

Highway 87 was closed yesterday afternoon from the junction with Highway 287, all the way south to the Idaho border. The Madison County Sheriff had also ordered evacuations for people living in the area of Cliff Lake and Wade Lake. Responders from Idaho and Wyoming are helping, and a shelter has been set up in Ennis.

And that's not the only fire in Madison County. Crews are fighting the Cloudrest Fire, northeast of Sheridan in the Tobacco Roots, and the Bivens Creek Fire northeast of Alder.

Meanwhile, the Mission Butte Fire burning southeast of Crow Agency is now over 6000  acres, making it one of the largest blazes in the state this summer, with no containment. The Summer Springs Fire in Treasure County is now over 2500 acres.

Montana's fall may not be that dry

We've got a new update now from the Climate Prediction Center, which is increasing the chance that La Niña ocean currents could drive our weather, starting sometime this fall. A couple of weeks ago, the outlook had been less conclusive. But forecasters are now issuing a La Niña Watch, saying there's a 53% chance it will create colder, wetter conditions, as soon as October or November.

      ️ However, it's not a guarantee, and there are some indications it could follow the same pattern as last winter's "weak La Niña" and fizzle out early in the new year.

Butte is going through a dry spell

It's still a dry morning for some Butte residents, but officials say initial tests about the contamination that shut down the water supply for businesses and residents south of Front Street are encouraging.

The "do not consume" order was issued on Wednesday afternoon when Montana Resource Management reported an over-pressurized hydrant might have allowed contaminants into the water supply. DEQ reported last night that initial tests were clean, but additional sampling was continuing, and there should be an update this morning.

    In the meantime, the city attempted to help folks by passing out bottled water, but kept running out.

Popular State Park on the Clark Fork to see restricted access for weeks

Montana FWP is asking floaters to use a different plan for a late summer trip down the Clark Fork, with vehicle access to one of the most popular state parks in Montana being cut off through the fall.

FWP says traffic won't be allowed to the Milltown Confluence to allow BNSF crews to do work on the railroad bridge that spans the road, with the closure this week through October 31st. People can still walk into the park from the overflow area on Juniper Road. But floaters are being told to use a different fishing access site for their trip.

      There may also be temporary river closures.

Make sure your ebikes are charged so THIS doesn't happen

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer is reminding people to know the capabilities of their outdoor equipment, especially if it's e-bikes. The warning was made in a Facebook post today where the sheriff's office and Gallatin County Search and Rescue were relating the complications they ran into a few days ago recovering a family who got lost when their bikes ran out of power near West Yellowstone.

Searchers located the family 12 miles out of town on the Two Top trails system. They'd called in, reporting they were lost and cold and had to be recovered with side-by-sides in a multi-agency response.

"Flathead Lake Club" idea advances

That move to develop a 1700-acre luxury resort on Flathead Lake isn't slowing down, with the Flathead County Planning Board recommending approval of the project this week. The Flathead Beacon reports county commissioners will be voting on the proposal next week.