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• Bitterroot wildfires keep burning

  October 3, 2011 2:34 PM

  HAMILTON- Bitterroot National Forest officials report the thunderstorms that brought rain to the valley on Saturday night also packed quite a bit of lightning that sparked a quartet of new fires. The Forest's Tod McKay says that two of the blazes were spotted Saturday night on the West Fork... more »

• Saddle Complex fires holding steady

  September 19, 2011 3:21 PM

  HAMILTON- The Saddle Complex fire is holding at a little over 32,300 acres as it continues to burn in southern Ravalli County and neighboring Lemhi County Idaho. Left over moisture from the storm on Thursday night and high relative humidity has been helping to keep the fire smoldering and... more »

• Saddle Complex fires burn over 32,000 acres

  September 15, 2011 1:06 PM

  HAMILTON- The Saddle Complex fires have now burned over 32,000 acres in the Southern Bitterroot Valley and adjacent Lemhi County Idaho. Over 235 people are still assigned to the blazes along with 11 engines and three helicopters. Fire managers report that the fire is still torching trees, but is... more »

• Saddle Complex fires burning over 31,000 acres

  September 13, 2011 1:13 PM

  HAMILTON- The Saddle Complex fires burning in the southern Bitterroot Valley and adjacent Lemhi County Idaho have now consumed nearly 31,400 acres. Fire officials say that smoke cleared sooner on Monday than anticipated, which meant there was some more active burning in the areas of the fire that are... more »

• Saddle Complex fires grow to over 30,000 acres

  September 9, 2011 2:31 PM

  HAMILTON- The hot and dry weather is continuing to fuel the Saddle Complex fires in the southern Bitterroot Valley with officials reporting that over 30,000 acres have now burned. Tod McKay with the Bitterroot National Forest reports that the blaze did not make any big runs on Thursday and... more »

• Saddle Complex fires keep growing

  September 8, 2011 4:27 PM

  HAMILTON- The Saddle Complex fires have added a few hundred more acres as the blaze continues to burn in the southern Bitterroot Valley and Lemhi County Idaho. Fire officials report that at last check around 29,600 acres have burned as nearly 250 personnel continue to fight the lightning-sparked fires... more »

• Saddle Complex fires see little growth

  September 6, 2011 4:56 PM

  HAMILTON- Fire officials say that the Saddle Complex fires burning in the souther Bitterroot Valley saw some "moderate" growth on Labor Day, adding about 240 acres. But, most of the fire activity happened inside the firelines. Fire managers lifted the Stage 1 Evacuation for all homes south of Painted... more »

• Crews continue battling Saddle Complex fires

  September 5, 2011 10:21 AM

  HAMILTON- Firefighters are still trying to corral the Saddle Complex fires that are burning over 27,000 acres west of Hamilton. Over 240 people are assigned to battle the fires which were sparked by lightning in Lemhi County Idaho on August 10th. While the fires held fairly steady over... more »

• Saddle Complex fires hold steady

  September 2, 2011 1:00 PM

  HAMILTON- Fire officials report that the Saddle Complex fires burning in the southern Bitterroot Valley saw little growth on Thursday and a total of 26,415 acres have burned so far. Firefighters spent most of the day on patrol handling hot spots close to the fire perimeter and report that... more »

• Weather aids Saddle Complex firefighting efforts

  September 1, 2011 11:18 AM

  HAMILTON- Fire officials report that the Wednesday's cooler weather has helped to slow the spread of the Saddle Complex fires burning the southern Bitterroot Valley. The blaze held pretty steady Wednesday and has burned nearly 26,000 acres in the Bitterroot National Forest and adjoining Salmon-Challis in Lemhi County, Idaho.... more »

• Work continues on Saddle Complex fires

  August 31, 2011 10:58 AM

  HAMILTON- Firefighters battling the Saddle Complex fires in the Southern Bitterroot Valley got a break from Mother Nature on Tuesday after predicted high winds failed to materialize. The weather allowed crews to keep strengthening the firelines on the over 25,000 acre blaze that's burning in the Bitterroot National Forest... more »

• Saddle Complex fire officials brace for winds Play Video

  August 30, 2011 1:37 PM

  HAMILTON- Fire officials managing the Saddle Complex fire burning in the Southern Bitterroot are bracing for an expected uptick in winds on Tuesday afternoon. While the blaze that's burning in the Bitterroot National forest and adjacent Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho has held steady at just under 24,000 acres... more »

• Public meeting set to discuss Saddle Complex fires Play Video

  August 29, 2011 1:05 PM

  HAMILTON- A public meeting has been set for Tuesday morning to discuss the ongoing efforts to battle the Saddle Complex fries that are burning in southern Ravalli County along the Idaho border. The blazes have burned nearly 24,000 acres in the Bitterroot and Salmon-Challis national forests and continue to... more »

• Cooler temps help with Saddle Complex fires Play Video

  August 28, 2011 4:13 PM

  DARBY- Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are giving firefighters on the Montana-Idaho border exactly what they want, namely slower growth of the 23,000 acre Saddle Complex fires. The blazes, which exploded in high winds a week ago, were started by lightning in Idaho a few weeks ago and have since... more »

• Saddle Complex fires showing mild growth

  August 27, 2011 2:37 PM

  DARBY- There's some good news to report from the scene of the Saddle Complex fires straddling the Montana-Idaho border, where the largest fires in the western half of the state are showing "gradual growth". The Saddle Complex fire started on the Idaho side of the Bitterroot Divide just over a... more »

• Saddle Complex crews get a break from Mother Nature

  August 26, 2011 12:43 PM

  DARBY- Crews battling the massive Saddle Complex fires along the Idaho-Montana border got a break from the weather after storm conditions fail to live up to the forecast. The complex, which started with two major fires on the Idaho side of the Bitterroot Divide, has consumed more than 21,000... more »

• Saddle Complex fire roars into Montana Play Video

  August 24, 2011 12:40 AM

  DARBY- Some Bitterroot Valley fire department members spent Tuesday up the West Fork of the Bitterroot knocking on doors and issuing a stage one evacuation alert, warning homeowners about an approaching complex of wildfires. They also assessed the homes and structures in the area and evaluated how best to protect... more »