Quiet week so far for fires

Fire season seems to be cooling down as counties in this region of Montana report very few fires and scattered precipitation as National Weather Service predicts a light week for fire conditions in the coming week.

On a weekly fire call Tuesday, National Weather Service Glasgow said a cold front will be moving in today with possible scattered showers, though more are likely in central Montana than the state’s eastern region.

They said temperatures are predicted to come back up during the weekend, but another drier cold front is expected to arrive Monday.

Precipitation is most likely today, and will dissipate as the week progresses, but, other than some wind in the forecast, fire conditions don’t look particularly threatening over the next seven days, the service reports.

Counties reported very few fires in their regions with Hill, Blaine, Roosevelt, Golden Valley, Wheatland, and Judith Basin counties, along with Fort Belknap, reporting no fires at all.

Golden Valley and Blaine counties elected to stay with their burn bans and Hill County will remain in Stage 1 fire restrictions.

These restrictions prohibit building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire unless noted in the exemptions below or as designated in the specific closure order.

Smoking is allowed within enclosed vehicles or buildings, developed recreation sites or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

Exemptions to these restrictions include people with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act, and people using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off.

Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device.

People conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice are also exempt, as are federal, state, or local officers or members of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.

Sheridan County reported one fire that burned less than an acre and Petroleum County reported one that burned 6 acres.

The worst off, Phillips County, only had two fires, making for a very quiet week compared to some weeks earlier this summer.

Hill and Phillips counties request at least one more week of fire calls, which tend to stop around this time of year.