Helena, Mont. – A state of emergency was declared in Montana on Sunday because of several large wildfires, including one that has crept to within a mile of several homes and destroyed at least one.
Higher humidity and clouds were helping firefighters contain that nearly 28-square-mile blaze, which began Friday and grew rapidly, leading to evacuation orders for residents of about 200 homes.
In addition to the destroyed home, another one was damaged as well as a commercial building and seven other structures, said Pat Cross, a fire information officer. But no injuries were reported, and the fire grew little Sunday.The wind was largely blowing the blaze back onto itself.
Weather was expected to favor firefighters today.
Wind-blown embers were still sparking spot fires up to 2 miles ahead of the main blaze near the popular getaway spots of Seeley and Placid Lakes, authorities said.
Zero containment
Cross estimated containment at zero percent, “only because there isn’t a lower number.”
Montana Gov. Brian Schweit zer declared the state of emergency Sunday, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized federal money to help fight the blaze. FEMA will pay 75 percent of eligible state firefighting costs for the fire, such as the fire camp, equipment and supplies, agency officials in Denver said. The money does not cover damage to homes or other buildings.
In northwestern Montana, about 50 homes ahead of a fire in the Flathead National Forest remained evacuated.
Blaze burns in California
In California, crews battling an 88-square-mile wildfire roughly 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County were getting about 50 additional fire engines Sunday, on top of the more than 100 already on the scene, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency. More than 2,300 people were fighting the blaze.
The wildfire continued to grow Sunday, spreading to more than 56,200 acres, but officials were hopeful the blaze would move farther away from homes. It was 70 percent contained Sunday, but full containment isn’t expected until Sept. 7, officials said.
Elsewhere, Michigan officials said Sunday that a wildfire in a remote area of the Upper Peninsula had pushed past fire lines and grown to about 10,000 acres, or more than 15 square miles, in dry, hot and windy weather.
No injuries were reported, but several structures were threatened and a state highway was closed.
In the East, flames had spread through about 4 square miles of pine forest in southern New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest, about 25 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
