Seeley Lake, Mont. – Residents who fled a large wildfire burning in southwestern Montana were briefly allowed to return Monday to check on their homes and gather belongings as firefighters braced for worsening weather.
About 675 homes have been evacuated and more than 28 square miles have burned since the fire near Seeley Lake began Friday about 50 miles northeast of Missoula. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
More than 200 firefighters arrived to help the 70 already assigned to the fire. Dry lightning was a possibility for Monday night, and humidity was expected to drop today, creating hot and dry conditions.
Firefighters were taking the unusual step of building containment lines in advance of the fire rather than attacking it from the sides.
“We’re trying to build lines ahead of the fire because the town is in the way and people’s homes,” said Ricardo Zuniga, a fire information officer.
So far, one house has been destroyed and another damaged. A commercial building and seven outbuildings were also damaged.
Linda Weaver and her husband were among a handful of evacuees camping at a highway rest stop Monday. The couple had cut short their vacation in Washington state when they heard about the fire and returned to pack up their Seeley Lake home.
“We’ll go back when they tell us we can go back,” she said. “I hope it’s soon.”
Missoula County Undersheriff Mike Dominick said a few people chose to remain despite the order. Montanans tend to think of themselves as self-sufficient and some “believe that their residence won’t be affected or that they can fight the fire,” he said.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweit zer declared a state of emergency Sunday. More than a dozen large wildfires were active in the state.
Elsewhere, cool weather and favorable wind helped crews battling a huge wildfire in California’s Santa Barbara County that was more than a month old and had flared up during the weekend. Evacuation orders remained for a handful of areas.
Southwesterly wind was moving the fire into wilderness and away from homes and buildings, fire spokesman Jim Lopez said. The fire had covered about 105 square miles. It was 68 percent contained Monday morning, with full containment expected Sept. 7, Lopez said.
