Frenchtown Fire Department

A massive fire tore through a popular western Montana restaurant late Sunday.

Monday was a fine day for fire training, so the Frenchtown, Florence and Missoula Rural Fire Districts worked all day with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) for helicopter water drop training.

Driving conditions in western Montana have turned treacherous over the weekend, with warming temperatures and freezing rain turning highways into skating rinks, resulting in several serious accidents.

A house fire reported in Tarkio on Saturday has taken the life of an unidentified woman who lived in the home.

First responders from the Forest Service, DNRC, and Frenchtown Rural Fire District were called up around 7:30 this morning after a homeowner in the Lackman Loop area reported hearing an explosion and seeing a fire start in the woods near his home.

This week, the Frenchtown Fire Department along with the Superior and Ninemile Ranger Districts participated in some special training with Two Bear Air helicopters from Kalispell.

An evening of horseback riding ended in tragedy Sunday night near Frenchtown, when a 30 year-old woman was killed after being thrown from her horse.

Personnel from Frenchtown Fire knocked down a blaze near Evaro on Friday afternoon.

Frenchtown Fire Department crews got some real-life training on attacking a wildland fire on Sunday afternoon.

The 2013 fire season saw thousands of acres burned and many homes destroyed in western Montana.