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Officials fighting Butler Fire brace for expected winds

Posted: Aug 2, 2012 10:42 AM by KPAX/KAJ Media Center
Updated: Aug 2, 2012 10:44 AM

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FRENCHTOWN- Fire officials fighting the Butler Fire outside of Frenchtown say they are watching the weather as winds expected later Thursday may spark spot fires.

The blaze is 10% contained and has burned 100 acres since being sparked by lightning near Ch-paa-qn Peak earlier this week.

Type II Incident Management Team Public Information Officer Jennifer Costich reports officials are now setting up a fire camp at the Richardson Ranch as 133 people battle the fire.

The fire is burning in lodgepole pine and subalpine fir forest, with heavy fuel loads of down and standing dead timber, posing dangers for firefighters as well as the potential for spot fires.

Costich says in a news release that crews are working to fully suppress the fire, especially to prevent spread northward and eastward onto the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Rick Kusicko's Type II Northern Rockies Incident Management Team began managing the Butler Fire on Wednesday and fire officials say that steep terrain, limited accessibility, and forest fuel types, have made efforts to control the Butler Fire more difficult.

There are several road and trail closures in effect including: Butler Creek Road Loop area, the Edith Peak Road area, Reservation Divide Trail, Kennedy Creek Trail, and Ch-paa-qn Peak Trail.

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Topics: Butler Fire, Firewatch, Ninemile

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