Seeley Lake, Mont. – Firefighters did what little they could in warm, breezy weather Tuesday to keep a wildfire away from about 1,500 homes in this northwestern Montana tourist town.
More than 22 square miles have burned since the blaze started Friday about 50 miles northeast of Missoula. Firefighters were concerned that higher winds could force the flames toward Seeley Lake.
The fire was about 2 miles from town, said Tom Kempton, a fire information officer. The National Weather Service was predicting winds as high as 20 mph.
Evacuation orders remained in effect for several other blazes in the state, including fires southeast of Missoula and one southwest of Whitefish that has burned 18,927 acres, or nearly 30 square miles.
In Los Olivos, Calif., firefighters wrapped a historic tavern in aluminum Tuesday to protect it from a blaze in northern Santa Barbara County that started more than a month ago. The fire was heading away from the Cold Spring Tavern, a 140-year-old wooden building in San Marcos Pass, but crews wanted to make sure it was fireproofed in case winds shifted. The fire has covered 109 square miles.
Elsewhere, a forest fire in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grew to 16,000 acres, or 25 square miles, on Tuesday, and officials began ordering evacuations near the community of Pine Stump Junction.
