Fire Watch

Bitterroot Forest sees three new lightning-sparked fires

Posted: Jul 10, 2012 9:12 PM by Dennis Bragg - KPAX News

HAMILTON - Lightning hitting the Bitterroot Divide in the past 24 hours has sparked at least three small new fires in the backcountry.

Bitterroot National Forest spokesman Tod McKay says firefighters are on the scene of the fires, which were probably all started by dry thunderstorms that moved through the region Monday afternoon and evening.

McKay says two firefighters were flown in by helicopter to a more remote burn on the West Fork Ranger District, northwest of Bare Cone Lookout near the Watchtower trailhead. All of the fires are currently less than one acre in size.

Fire crews from the Darby Ranger District also assisted the Hamilton Fire Department this afternoon with a lightning-caused fire on private property near Roaring Lion.

Fire crews have extinguished eight lightning-caused wildfires on the Bitterroot National Forest so far this week.