Update: Friday, July 21: The Colt Fire reached 99 acres with zero containment Friday morning.
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The Colt Fire northeast of Seeley Lake has grown to roughly 15 acres as of Thursday, July 20, creating a powerful blaze that fire crews hope to knock down before temperatures rise this weekend.
The Colt Fire was first reported early Monday morning. It’s about 15 miles northwest of Seeley Lake, and five miles north from Lake Alva. The fire was likely sparked by a lightning strike, according to the Forest service. It’s burning south of Colt Lake, and is visible from the Summit Lake turnoff.
The fire is actively burning in a heavy dead and down forested area, with understory burning and occasional tree torching. According to the DNRC website, it is uncontained. Fire danger is high in the area. Fire managers are asking the public to avoid the Beaver Lake and Colt Lake areas where people are working.
Since the first discovery, fire crews from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Forest Service have been hoping to contain the fire. Kristin Mortenson with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation said an “airshow” of planes hopes to limit the burn’s spread.
“The temperatures could reach triple digits this weekend,” Mortenson said. “If we knock it down before then, that would be ideal.
There are four helicopters battling the fire and two scooper planes from Idaho. On the ground, there are four engines on the fire from the Forest Service, DNRC and Seeley Rural Fire District.
The Bitterroot Interagency Hotshots arrived on scene last night. A DNRC type two handcrew joined the fighting efforts Thursday morning. Mortenson said the ground crews hope to build a sawline to start containing the fire
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