Well...........just to keep some of you informed......like my cousin in Holland Michigan, who is probably on a one week drunk since his beloved Lions finally won a game in his lifetime..........and as per the past few years, our fire seasons here have been hectic. My cousin Barry, trolls this and several other forums and wanted an update on our big fire out here.

This year has been relatively quiet but this past week has been a nightmare between Lolo (where we live) and Hamilton Mt....40 miles south of us. The Kootenai Creek Fire, which started on July 1st from a lightning strike way up in the Bitterroot Mts. just south of us has decided it would make a big run to the East and North and South. Going East means it has come down the 10,000 foot slopes into civilization (homes) and north and south means it has decided that Lolo and Hamilton are its' next targets.

Because of the rugged terrain and inaccesability for ground and air crews this fire was left to burn...hoping it would head west into the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness area and burn itself out. No such luck. For two months it smoldered; flared up; sat down; and finally last week when a windy front came through it decided to get nasty. We have had smoke so bad the past week that the street lights came on in mid afternoon. Now, finally, the air tankers can get at it and yesterday 4 air tankers from Missoula made 52 drops on that sucker. All day long, right over our house, those tankers were flying about 700 feet above us. One's going over right now and it's a good thing I'm not on the phone....nobody could hear me.

I haven't put up the roof sprinklers yet, but I've got them ready. Hopefully it will rain/snow like the weather guys say it's supposed to by Thursday. I'll believe it when I see it. As the Platters sang....."Smoke Gets In Your Eyes."

Till next time......Smokey Bob

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Good luck Bob. I had no idea you guys were still getting bad fires.
Keep us updated!

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Isn't it sad, Cheesey? Hollywood/LA/California gets fires and we all hear about it (Hell, I know about it and I don't watch any sort of news). Montana gets some blazes, and no one but the ones directly involved with the fire knows about it.

And people say the media isn't biased.. Riiiiiiight ::roll:

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Yup Formo.....Montana isn't "HOLLYWOOD" enough for anyone to write about it.

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Yup.. But you know who is 'Hollywood' enough to write about?

Mr. Foster. 😃

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As "Smokey the Bear" always said........

"Remember........only YOU can prevent Forest Gump"

Or something like that.......

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Our cold/wet/snow front came through yesterday. 45 degree difference between Tuesday and Wed. The higher elevations got snow, but nothing.........nada.......down low. The higher humidity helped set the fire down and keep the smoke down, but the fire has gained 2000 acres since Monday night. It's now at 11,350 acres, most of it up in the high canyons and draws.

We're fine here, just smell like a bad wiener roast. The air tankers are flying again today, but for the most part this fire is just going to sit and smolder and burn itself out when the heavy snow flies. Which could be this weekend.

The thing with those California fires is they always happen in populated areas and that fuel (dry sagebrush, pinion pine, and western cedar) burn like a torch in seconds. Big fires create their own weather and winds and you can't outrun one, let alone try to drive away from one. That's why they get the publicity.

Here, a big fire comes through, and the next year you look and it's hard to believe a fire came through. A 10,000 acre fire in the mountains doesn't take up a whole lot of area when you have so much wilderness right around you.

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Well, just glad you are ok Bob!
How are the local squirrels doing? Are they weathering the fires ok?

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They're still chattering away, but I noticed several of the "veteran" squirrels have started wearing those fire retardant shirts and jackets. Kinda funny to see a big ol' squirrel run around in the trees all decked out in bright yellow and a yellow hard hat on.

Think they know something we don't?????

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When you see them boarding flights for other states, THEN worry!

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