Rice Ridge Fire Costs Seeley Major Tourist Dollars

SEELEY LAKE - Due to smoke from the Rice Ridge Fire just two months ago, local businesses faced a loss of revenue because of decreased tourism.

According to InciWeb, an incident information website, and KPAX news station, a lighting strike in late July started the Rice Ridge Fire which burned over 160,000 acres. The fire decreased air quality which led to hazardous levels for several weeks, closing the lake for fire suppression efforts and decreasing tourism over the summer.

In an interview with Cory's Valley Market owner Cory Thompson about his business and the amount of income he lost he sta...