PABLO — The past week’s combination of heat and thunderstorms has local officials on edge, fearing that a lightning strike could ignite the region’s increasingly dry underbrush. According to CSKT Division of Fire Chief Curt Matt, the risk of fire on the west side of the Flathead Reservation has been raised to “very high,” while the level of danger on the east side has been elevated from “moderate” to “high.”

This week, there were four small blazes in the area- two of which were started by lightning and two of which were caused by human activity. The fires were all extinguished quickly by Division of Fire personnel.

“So far we’ve been pretty lucky,” said Matt. “But with the hotter temperatures [in the forecast], I think we’re approaching a critical point.”

Unfortunately, lightning and dry-spells are not the only potentially destructive forces that firefighters are up against. In many cases throughout the state, careless recreational activity by people has been to blame for a number of fires.

“So far, our biggest concern is campfires,” Matt said.

“Make sure your campfire is out before leaving it unattended.”

The CSKT Division of Fire still has a number of resources and personnel deployed to assist with fire control in Wyoming and throughout western Montana.