Lightning Fires

Several new lightning-caused fires were spotted in the Lolo National Forest on Wednesday after thunderstorms swept over the area overnight.

The overnight lightning storms that rolled through eastern Idaho and western Montana sparked several small fires in the Lolo National Forest.

The entire state of Montana is under an air quality alert as smoke from Montana fires and fires throughout the northwest have settled over the state.

A combination of hot temperatures and a lack of moisture in the past two weeks caused the Missoula County Fire Protection Association to raise the fire danger level from ‘High’ to ‘Very High’ on Monday.