Fire season appears to be amping up earlier than usual in western Montana, with two fire starts last week. Ongoing dry, windy conditions prompted the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire to elevate the danger level from moderate to high on Tuesday.

“Yes, it’s early for fires,” said fire information officer C.T. Camel. “The above normal temps have vegetation curing already.”

He noted that this type of fine, dead fuel is the primary carrier of fire in the wildland, and when fires get established in this type of fuel they can quickly spread out of control.

The Foust Slough fire on the west side of the Flathead River across from Moiese burned around 60 acres and was believed to have been started last week by an unattended campfire. In Sanders County, the Banana Lake Fire north of Plains had consumed more than 900 acres by Tuesday morning and was 15% contained.

If a small fire becomes a full-blown forest fire, it could lead to arson charges, fines and even the bill for all fire-caused costs, warns Camel.

“We just want people to be careful when recreating and working in the outdoors,” he said. “Put your campfires dead out, secure your trailer chains, don’t target shoot in dry areas, don’t drive vehicles in tall grass, and don’t burn debris on windy days.”

In fact, CSKT restricted outdoor burning on the reservation starting Wednesday, June 4, and won’t allow it to resume until Oct. 1, after fire season subsides.

The rest of the state is also gearing up for a potentially intense fire season. During a fire briefing held with Gov. Greg Gianforte Monday, fire management professionals predicted significant wildfire potential in western Montana in July, expanding to central and eastern Montana in August and September.

Drier, warmer conditions have already begun, with Missoula posting a record-setting high of 94 last Saturday. Temperatures in Polson are expected to reach the 80s by this weekend and hit 91 by Monday.

Polson Rural Fire also chimed in with a recent social media post noting “unless we see some changes in the weather pattern, we are looking at a potentially devastating wildfire season.”

Tips for coping with the season ahead include signing up for Lake County’s automated alert system that can instantly reach homeowners in the event of an emergency. Find the link at www.lakemt.gov/249/Emergency-Alerts.

The department also encourages property owners to take measures in advance to protect their homes and offers tips at polsonruralfire.org/wildfire-ready.

“Firefighters will do what we can to save every home in the event of a wildfire, however homes that have been prepared for such events stand a much better chance of survival,” notes the department’s post.

For more information on local restrictions, call the Division of Fire at 406-676-2550.