Coal Ridge fire at 1,200 acres as containment efforts continue

In the past day, the Coal Ridge Fire in Blaine County, 5 miles North of Stafford Ferry, has remained at 1,200 acres despite a day of erratic winds as firefighters establish a perimeter around most of the blaze.

A release from the Montana Bureau of Land Management Thursday said the fire has now been mapped at 1,200 acres, up from the previous estimate of 450 acres Tuesday.

Wednesday, BLM said the fire had burned 790 acres of private land, 166 acres of BLM managed lands, including areas within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and BLM Havre Field Office areas, as well as 250 acres of state-managed lands in Blaine County.

Thursday, BLM said firefighters worked their way around 75 percent of the fire’s perimeter with a combination of handline, dozer line and cold-trailing as they work toward containment.

The release said they cannot provide an overall containment percentage at this time.

“Crews are working on securing the southern line of the fire and beginning mop-up operations on the north, west and east sides,” the release said.

The fire, originally reported Tuesday, is being fought by a team from BLM, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service as well as Blaine and Fergus counties along with private resources.

The team is being led by the Bureau’s North Central Montana District, which took over command Tuesday afternoon.

“The public is advised to stay clear of the area and not operate unmanned aircraft — drones — in the vicinity,” the release says. “Please, do not engage in any activity that could obstruct active fire operations and increase risk to firefighters.”

Not long before this fire was first reported a regional fire call between the counties in this area of Montana reported that it had been a slow couple of weeks for fires in the area, but cautioned counties to remain vigilant, as windy weather can make fire conditions more dangerous.

The release said people should check for fire restrictions before starting outdoor activities at http://www.mtfireinfo.org .