Strong winds pushed a fire burning in Ravalli County along the Montana-Idaho border to over 1,000 acres Wednesday.
“We are in full-on suppression on this fire,” said Bitterroot National Forest spokesperson Tod McKay. “We are throwing everything we have at it.”
There are currently 80 firefighters, including two Hotshot crews and three helicopters, assigned to the blaze burning in the far southern reaches of the Bitterroot National Forest along the edge of the Frank Church Wilderness.
Two more 20-person Hotshot crews, three engines and a water tender were expected to arrive at the fire Thursday.
On Wednesday, two air tankers flying out of Missoula and a converted DC-10 called a “Very Large Air Tanker” (VLAT) from Moses Lake, Washington, dumped 54,209 gallons of fire retardant on the fire to help establish a perimeter that firefighters on the ground are working to reinforce Thursday.