Crews continue to attack fire on Flathead Lake

KALISPELL, Mont. — Officials report a national team is helping manage the Boulder 2700 Fire as It continues to burn 1,134 acres along Highway 35 and the Finley Point area.

Fire crews are working the lines on the north and south ends. The main goal is to make sure the fire doesn’t get near any more structures.

We know homes burned, but how many is still to be determined.

“In some areas, they may have a loss, but the trees are so unstable there after the fire went through, and then with the rain, so unstable to get in there, so it’s not safe to go in and check,” Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said.

Bell says incident commanders want to figure out a way so people can check their homes.

Crews are letting people in for urgent things, but it puts a strain on resources because they have to send a fire truck with a resident.

“We’re asking people just to be patient, and if you can, if you need meds, see if you can go to your provider and have them give you a script for four-five days,” Bell said.

Officials say fire activity is between mile markers 8 and 10.

Montana Department of Transportation set up three checkpoints along Highway 35. One is at mile marker 16.

They are checking addresses, so if you’re not in the restricted areas, which is mile marker 5 to Blue Bay, then you can get through. Other people are being redirected around Flathead Lake.

Just down the road, the Flathead Biological Station and others in the area lost power.

Noah Brown is doing an engineering internship at the bio station. He says they were evacuated and told the power won’t be back on until another week or two, cutting the 10-week internship short.

“Wasn’t prepared to leave this soon, like I was looking forward to the last two weeks, and I’ve made some really good friends over the summer, so it’s really disappointing,” Brown said.

A community meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in Polson High School’s gym.

The link to the meeting can be found here.