Libby fire remains 1.5 miles from mine site

A wildfire burning off Highway 37 about 4 miles north of Libby grew to an estimated 40 to 60 acres on Friday, and is now believed to be human-caused.

Traveling in a north, northeast direction uphill, the fire continued to pose a threat to the Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines from Libby Dam and a former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine site, about 1.5 miles north of the blaze, according to Fire Management Officer Dan Rose with the Kootenai National Forest.

Rose said the fire had not grown much since Thursday afternoon when it was first reported, but 6-10 mph winds from the south, southeast in the forecast for Friday night and Saturday raised some concern.

Libby District Ranger Nate Gassmann told The Western News on Friday morning that crews had not yet contained the fire. “We don’t have anything contained or controlled at this point,” he said. “We’re not all the way around the fire to really get a solid number [on its size].”

Fire activity closed a section of Highway 37 on Thursday, but Rose said that section had been reopened to all traffic.

Miscellaneous air and ground equipment, including helicopters, air tankers, bulldozers and excavators, were assisting around 50 firefighters on the ground. Among the ground crews was a 10-person team specially trained to work within Operating Unit 3 of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site should the fire encroach farther on the mine, increasing the potential risk of asbestos exposure from the site.

As of 2:45 p.m. Friday, the fire had not yet reached the Superfund site and the specialized unit remained on standby strictly as a precautionary measure.

Gassmann said that as logistics kick into gear, “there’s all sorts of things that we’re starting to get [for] more support as we extend this attack.”

“I think we have everyone’s attention as far as the availability [of resources],” he said.

Though investigators have determined that the fire was not lightning-caused, the exact source of the blaze was still under investigation.

The Zulu Fire north of Libby in the Kootenai National Forest remained at 20 acres with little to no growth Friday.

The fire posed no threat to structures in the area, according to Beau Macy, District Assistant Fire Management Officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Troy, but a Type 3 Incident Management Team remained on scene.

The 1,000-acre Reynolds Lake Fire burning farther south in the Bitterroot National Forest showed little growth Friday as well. The lightning-caused fire reported July 17 was burning in a remote area of timber southwest of Darby on the eastern border of the state. Additional ground crews arrived Thursday and miscellaneous air support continues to monitor and assist with water and retardant drops.

The fire danger level remained high for the Flathead Valley and very high in Kootenai Forest.

With fire season ramping up across Montana, smoke decreased the air quality to moderate in six districts, including Missoula, Libby, Thompson Falls, Frenchtown, Hamilton and Broadus.

Friday afternoon, the Flathead Valley was still experiencing generally good air quality with a gradual trend toward moderate throughout the day.

Fire activity across the state is expected to increase in the coming days due to persistent hot, dry and breezy conditions.

Smoke condition forecasts range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups through the weekend depending on the presence of new fire activity.

For daily updates on air quality conditions statewide, visit http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.