Thursday, August 06, 2026
45.0°F

Fire in golf course pro shop extinguished quickly

EMILY MESSER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 3 weeks AGO
by EMILY MESSER
Emily Messer joined the Lake County Leader in July of 2025 after earning a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Montana. Emily grew up in the rolling hills of southeast Missouri. She's lived in Montana since 2022 and honed her reporting craft through the UM J-School newspaper and internships at the RMEF Bugle Magazine and the Missoulian. At the Leader, she covers government, business, education, agriculture and community news. Contact Emily Messer at [email protected] or 406.883.4343 | May 12, 2026 11:05 AM

On Tuesday morning, smoke filled the inside of the Polson Bay Golf Course Pro Shop. In the chaotic moment, Pro Shop director Cameron Milton described himself as a chicken running around with its head off, until the Polson Fire Department arrived and extinguished the small fire.  

Fire Chief Kevin Straub said the department was dispatched to a report of a fire at the Polson Bay Golf Course at 7:50 a.m., and upon arrival, they found a light fixture on fire, along with a portion of the carpet inside the office of the Pro Shop. Drippings from the plastic covering of the fixture was the cause of the carpet fire.  

Straub said they quickly extinguished the blaze with a fire extinguisher. Nine personnel from the city department were dispatched to the scene, along with Polson Rural Fire District, EMS and Polson Police Department.  

Straub reported that the Pro Shop clothing suffered smoke damage, with minimal damage to the building. He said there was no effect on Bunkers Bar and Grill.  

Milton explained that he was thankful for the fire department's less than five-minute response to the scene and appreciated Straub and Assistant Fire Chief Adam Reed’s “fantastic job.”  

“It could have been way worse without the quick response from the fire department,” Milton said.  

While the shop was closed Tuesday, Milton planned to get the Pro Shop operational as quickly as possible and expected it to be open again Wednesday. The Pro Shop will be closed today.  

Milton confirmed there is smoke damage to the clothing, which he insures through the Pro Shop.  

    Dripping from the light fixture also caused the carpet to catch fire in the Polson Bay Golf Course Pro Shop office on Tuesday morning. (City of Polson Fire Department photo)

ARTICLES BY EMILY MESSER

August 6, 2026 midnight

City Commission approves grant match for a potential road resurfacing machine

The Polson City Commission unanimously approved a 20% match for a Federal Highway Administration grant to fund advanced transportation technology and innovation programs, with the city intending to use the funds for an asphalt reclaimer.

Lake County Fair hosts first and successful rodeo weekend
August 6, 2026 midnight

Lake County Fair hosts first and successful rodeo weekend

When the Pioneer Days Committee announced there would be no rodeo this year, the public cried out, as this long-standing tradition seemed to be fading away. But just one month ago, the Friends of the Fairgrounds, alongside the Lake County Fair Board, announced they would bring a rodeo back.

August 5, 2026 midnight

Combination of changes results in Salmon Prairie Elementary’s closure

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, one-room rural schoolhouses formed in vast numbers across western Montana, alongside the isolated farming, ranching, mining and logging communities. This was the foundation of rural education across America.