County will enter Stage II fire restrictions Thursday morning; no campfires allowed
Interpretative ranger Steve Thompson, left, talks about the Howe Ridge Fire with visitors at the Lake McDonald Lodge.
Flathead County will enter Stage 2 fire restrictions at 12 a.m. Thursday following the approval by county commissioners Tuesday morning.
According to Rick Sacca with the Flathead County Department of Emergency Services, fire resources have been stretched thin, forcing the county to rely on limited local resources to fight any new starts.
Extremely dry fuels combined with the hot, dry weather forecasted for at least the next 10 days make the prospect of human-caused fires more likely and potentially devastating without the availability of equipment and personnel.
Stage 2 restrictions prohibit campfires, smoking outside an enclosed structure or vehicle, and off-road driving.
The restrictions also impact the Flathead National Forest, Montana Department of Natural Resources land under the Kalispell, Libby and Plains units, the Kootenai Forest, Lincoln, Sanders and Lake counties, as well as Stoltze Land and Lumber and Weyerhaeuser timber land. Stoltze is imposing additional restrictions including no camping and no use of motorized vehicles on or off road.
Glacier National Park entered Stage 2 restrictions on Tuesday.