Helicopters

Firefighters are working to suppress two small wildfires spotted in the Bitterroot National Forest that were discovered on Saturday.

Nearly seven inches of rain and three feet of snow fell in Northwestern Montana over the past few days, causing flooding and the temporary closure of the Going to the Sun Road.

Federal officials say Montana has a safe aviation program, but it is unlikely the state's five firefighting helicopters will be used to respond to blazes on U.S. Forest Service lands this year.

Mineral County and parts of Missoula County underwent new fire evacuations this past weekend as the West Fork Fish Creek Fire continued to grow to over 12,000 acres. But within the past 48 hours, fire information officer Kim Smolt said clear skies have finally led firefighters to get eyes on the fire for the first time since the fire started.

A fast moving fire sparked by downed power lines near Arlee was quickly attacked by several agencies, including the Salish and Kootenai Fire Division, Arlee Fire, the DNRC and the U.S. Forest Service. Spokesman Devlin LaFrombois said the fire was first reported at about 4:30 on Sunday afternoon on the Flathead Reservation...

Over the weekend, the windswept Lost Horse Fire in the Darby Ranger District has increased in size to over 40 acres, and is considered zero percent contained.

St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center have announced an agreement with Northwest MedStar to provide critical care transport services, formerly provided by the Life Flight Air Ambulance program.

Firefighters are making excellent progress on the Firestone Flats Fire on the Flathead Reservation, holding the fire at 1,750 acres.