Abandoned Campfires Cause Problems In Lolo National Forest

Federal, state, and local fire officials say fire danger in Missoula County is rated at “high” and people need to be more diligent in putting out their campfires. Fire officials are reminding people to be careful in the woods this time of year.  In the past several weeks, there have been over a dozen abandoned campfires discovered by fire crews from the U.S. Forest Service and DNRC in their respective areas of protection.  On the Lolo National Forest alone firefighters have been kept busy responding to 16 human caused fires this fire season – 55% of the fire total.  Throughout the state, 61% of DNRC fires are human caused. One recent fire resulted in the loss of a camper’s tent. Humans cause over 50% of the wildfires in Montana every year, and the bulk of human-caused fires are easily preventable.