Saturday Reports from Montana Forest Fires Show Growth

At the end of week, some of the Forest Service incident management teams "transitioned out" to provide a couple of days rest for teams and bring in fresh firefighters. Weather systems are bringing in some wind and a few clouds.

Here's a look at a few western Montana fires Saturday morning (information from inciweb):

• Lolo Peak Fire - 7,084 acres - information trailer at intersection of US 93 and Highway 12.
• Sunrise Fire - 12,900 acres - southeast of Superior.
• Rice Ridge Fire - 7,740 acres - 2 miles northeast of Seeley Lake. American Red Cross has set up a shelter at Potomac Community Center in Potomac.
• Liberty Fire - 3,769 acres.
• Meyers Fire - 12,777 acres - south of Philipsburg.
• Sapphire Complex - 21,573 acres - includes Goat Creek, Sliderock and Little Hogback fires.Fire danger on the Bitterroot National Forest is "Extreme" and we are under Stage 2 fire restrictions. The Dillon area just started Stage 1 fire restrictions. There are "hoot owl" restrictions on portions of the Bitterroot River.