Montana Gov. Declares WildFire Emergency
Pastor Dale Morgan
Montana Gov. Declares WildFire Emergency*
Sunday August 5, 2007 8:01 PM
By SARAH COOKE
Associated Press Writer
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A state of emergency was declared in Montana on
Sunday because of wildfires, including one northeast of Missoula that
had forced the evacuation of 200 homes.
Lighter wind and higher humidity were expected Sunday, although
wind-blown embers were still able to start spot fires up to 2 miles
ahead of the main blaze near the popular getaway spots of Seeley and
Placid Lakes, authorities said.
``We're focusing on structure protection, establishing some anchor
points and trying to get some fire line in on the south and east
flanks,'' said Pat Cross, fire information officer.
The wildfire started Friday and exploded to 8,000 acres, about 12 square
miles, by late Saturday, but had not grown much by Sunday.
Cross estimated containment at zero percent, ``only because there isn't
a lower number.''
Elsewhere, California on Sunday poured more resources into a fire
northwest of Los Angeles that had blackened more than 83 square miles.
Michigan authorities said Sunday that a blaze in a northern forest had
jumped fire lines.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer declared the state of emergency on Sunday,
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized federal money to
help fight the blaze. FEMA will pay 75 percent of eligible state
firefighting costs for the fire, such as the fire camp, equipment and
supplies, agency officials in Denver said. The money does not cover
damage to homes or other buildings.
No homes had been burned, but authorities closed a 30-mile stretch of
Montana 83 for safety reasons, Cross said.
In northwestern Montana, about 50 homes ahead of a fire in the Flathead
National Forest remained evacuated, and crews had to move their fire
camp because the blaze burned to within 2 miles.
Crews battling a wildfire roughly 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles in
California's Santa Barbara County were getting about 50 additional fire
engines Sunday, on top of the more than 100 already on the scene, after
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency. More than
2,300 people were fighting the blaze.
The wildfire continued to grow Sunday, spreading to more than 56,200
acres - over 88 square miles - but officials were hopeful the blaze
would move farther away from homes. It was 70 percent contained Sunday
but full containment isn't expected until Sept. 7, officials said.
``There's a lot of wilderness between the front of the fire and the
direction it is moving, a lot of area without any structures,'' said
fire spokeswoman Vicki Collins.
The month-old wildfire had changed direction Saturday, moving away from
hundreds of rural homes and heading into an unpopulated area of dense
vegetation, officials said. Evacuation orders remained in effect for
about 650 people in the hamlet of Paradise and a camp for delinquent boys.
Elsewhere, Michigan officials said Sunday that a wildfire in a remote
area of the Upper Peninsula had pushed past fire lines and grown to
about 9,700 acres, or 15 square miles, in dry, hot and windy weather. No
injuries were reported, but there were a handful of evacuations and a
state highway in the area was closed.
In the East, flames had spread through about 4 square miles of pine
forest in southern New Jersey's Wharton State Forest, about 25 miles
southeast of Philadelphia. It was 50 percent contained Sunday morning,
said Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of
Environmental Protection. No buildings had been damaged, she said.