Montana gov: Fire is in 'hands of God' By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer

Montana gov: Fire is in 'hands of God' By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 1 minute ago



HELENA, Mont. - Authorities worried about firefighters' safety on Saturday pulled them off a fast-growing wildfire in western Montana and told residents of about 200 homes to get out of the way.

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"This fire is in the hands of God right now," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said after taking a helicopter flight over the blaze, which already had burned nearly 8 square miles since starting Friday afternoon.

Winds between 25 and 30 mph were helping to fan the blaze northeast of Missoula, near the popular getaway spots of Seeley and Placid lakes. The fire was volatile and could grow rapidly, jeopardizing crews, Schweitzer said.

"We can't risk firefighters' lives," he said.

Residents of about 200 homes scattered around Seeley Lake and Placid Lake to the south were ordered to evacuate, said Jamie Kirby, a fire information officer. The governor told them to "open the gates, turn the livestock loose, take your pets, shut off the propane at the tank, shut off the electricity and get out."

There were no reports of homes burning, Kirby said. It was not known how close the fire was to the residences, a mix of year-round and vacation homes.

In northwestern Montana, about 26 miles north of Whitefish, authorities ordered the evacuation of about 50 homes ahead of a fire burning in the Flathead National Forest. The fire had burned 14,000 acres, or nearly 22 square miles, by Saturday evening.

Montana has seen dozens of fires in a wildfire season that began earlier than usual. Major fires included one north of Helena that was last measured at 37,000 acres, or about 58 square miles, and was projected to grow Saturday with the help of winds.

That fire was about half a mile from a 100-kilovolt power line. NorthWestern Energy removed vegetation near the line, sprayed its poles with chemical fire retardant and covered the poles with protective wrapping, said utility spokeswoman Brandy Powers.

Northwest of Los Angeles, meanwhile, fire crews braced for another possible flare-up by a month-old forest fire that has forced hundreds of people to flee rural cabins.

"It's not good. We expect it to run again," fire spokesman Pete Nicklin said Saturday.

By Saturday evening, the fire was moving away from hundreds of rural homes and heading into an unpopulated area of dense vegetation, officials said

The fire in Los Padres National Forest had charred an estimated 44,400 acres — 70 square miles — by Saturday and was 60 percent contained, little changed from Friday, fire officials said.

Flames were about four miles from the Santa Barbara County hamlet of Paradise Road, where firefighters guarded some of the 175 threatened homes. About 650 people evacuated the community Friday, along with youngsters from a camp for delinquent boys.

The wildfire had been slowed for days by a weather condition that trapped cool, moist air at ground level, but the weather changed Friday and the blaze dashed through 6,000 acres of wilderness.

On Saturday, northeasterly wind was threatening to blow up and fan the flames into head-high brush.

"It hasn't burned in 100 years. It's thick and heavy and it's tinder-dry," Nicklin said.

The area was crowded with thousands of visitors for Santa Barbara's annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

The blaze was started July 4 by sparks from equipment being used to repair a water pipe.

A handful of homes and cabins in Michigan's Upper Peninsula were evacuated Saturday as a precaution near a wildfire that had blackened about 5,300 acres, said Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Mary Dettloff.

The fire was 30 percent contained Saturday, but fire officials were concerned about the possibility of stiffening wind, Dettloff said. The DNR said the fire was probably started by lightning on Thursday.

Elsewhere, flames had blackened about four square miles of remote pine forest in southern New Jersey, authorities said. The fire, which started Friday, wasn't contained Saturday but wasn't showing signs of spreading, said Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. Its cause had not been determined by Saturday night.