Blue Bay Fire at 480 acres, 40 percent contained
Nicole Tavenner
Scooper planes as well as five helicopters are being used in supression efforts. Scooper planes fly at a high speed just above the surface of the water, scooping a large amount of water into the belly of the plane to drop over a fire.
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The Blue Bay Fire that broke out Aug. 10 was 40 percent contained as of Monday morning. Containment typically refers to the portion of the fire that has a line around it.
Information officer Dominique Woodham said that 175 firefighters from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and others from Montana, Arizona and Oklahoma were fighting the fire, which as of Friday was at 480 acres.
No structures were threatened by the fire, she said. The closest buildings are located to the west of the fire on the east side of Montana Highway 35 at least a half-mile away.
“It’s looking really good at this time,” she said, noting that cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity on Sunday assisted firefighters in their efforts.
Five helicopters were also being used in suppression efforts.
The B2000 and B2200 roads are closed to the public.
Liberty Fire
The Liberty Fire burning 17 miles southeast of Arlee was at 7,666 acres as of Monday morning with 303 personnel on scene.
Norm Rucker, information officer with the Great Basin Incident Management Team 3, said two helicopters were being used to battle the blaze with others available as needed from the Rice Ridge Fire on the east side of the Seeley Lake area.
The hottest part of the Liberty Fire was on its southeast flank in the Gold Creek area. Rucker explained that fires in the area typically burn from northwest to southeast.
Ninety percent of the fire had a line around it. Portions of the fire that are out are located in its northwest and northeast sections.
Air quality over the weekend was moderate in the Arlee area but unhealthy in the Seeley Lake area. Rucker said that most of the smoke in the Arlee area was coming from the Sunrise Fire in Mineral County to the west.
A pre-evacuation warning for the Placid Lake area east of the fire was lifted on Aug. 14. A pre-evacuation warning for the Seeley Lake area remains in place.
