Montana
Montana Air Quality Takes Another Hit From New Fires
A combination of fresh fire starts, and smoke pouring into the Northern Rockies from other states, is pushing air quality to some of the worst levels we’ve seen so far this summer.
While a change in the weather later this week, expected as high pressure shifts east, could bring winds to help clear skies, it’s also increasing the potential for “fire weather”, and problematic winds.
Conditions deteriorated to the point Monday, that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality alert for much of the state.
Missoula County Orders Evacuations for New Fire Start
New, smaller fires join the list of blazes in Montana
Air quality was already marginal over the weekend, but dropped in the Missoula area Monday morning with the outbreak of the new Butler Creek Fire.
Although largely a fast-moving fire because it involved grasslands, the new blaze forced evacuations, and had torched over 200 acres by last morning. That created more smoke which dropped air quality at most Missoula stations to “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, with a few registering “unhealthy” air for all residences.
Bad air statewide
By Monday afternoon, air quality had not improved. DEQ stations in Missoula, Frenchtown, and Hamilton were showing air “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Other locations in Kalispell, and Northwest Montana had haze, but air quality remained “moderate.”
East of the Divide, Cutback, Chateau, and Helena had warnings of air being “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” The worst air in the state is in the Great Falls area, and a few locations in the Helena Valley, where readings had hit “unhealthy”. That’s where the warnings apply to all people to limit their time outdoors and avoid exertion.
READ MORE; Fire Smoke Keeps Missoula on “Most Polluted Cities” List
Regional fire smoke not helping
EPA maps are showing smoke plumes coming into Montana from not only the fires burning in British Columbia, the Cascades, Eastern Washington, and Oregon but also from Alberta.
Estimated Costs to Fight Montana’s Biggest Wildfires Summer 2024
The data below comes from mtfireinfo.org and the Lolo National Forest Facebook page and will be updated regularly. The following information was posted as of the morning of 7/17/2024.
Gallery Credit: Ashley
MISSOULA, Mont. — In this week’s Amazing America, NBC Montana is highlighting smokejumpers and their efforts to keep our communities safe during wildfire season.
NBC Montana caught up with a current and a former smokejumper to learn more about the work they do and how the job has changed throughout the years.
Jim Kitchen was a smokejumper for 20 seasons, fought over 100 fires and raised his three daughters on a smokejumper base, where he served as base commander.
Kitchen says he’ll never forget his first jump, when he started training in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1987.
“I went, ‘That was amazing,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah,’ and I go, ‘Have you ever done anything as amazing in your life? I mean, we just made our first jump,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen told NBC Montana when he laughed his crew had to do 50 pushups.
Kitchen saw several changes during his career, including women entering a historically male-dominated field. He told NBC Montana Deanne Shulman, the first woman smokejumper, paved the way for the industry.
He recalled a time when he was on a trip to Washington, D.C. , in the early ’90s to coordinate emergency response, when a U.S. Department of State official asked him a question.
“He goes, ‘I didn’t realize men were smokejumpers.’ And I had to go, ‘Peter, I’ll have you know, there’s quite a few of us, and actually, it’s the women that are rare,’” said Kitchen “The early ladies in smokejumping, they always met and exceeded the bar, and they were instrumental in doing these winter details.”
Another change he oversaw as base commander, was moving from round parachutes used in World War II, to the ones used today.
“Ram-Air parachutes that inflate make the shape of the wing and they actually have about a 20 mph forward speed. And so you can you can fly those in much windier conditions, higher elevations,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen says the job requires you to roll with the punches and make quick decisions on the fly.
He said while training new jumpers, he taught them early to prepare and never hesitate.
“The only thing that we ask of you is that you take all the information that you can and then make a decision,” said Kitchen.
Nick Holloway, a current Missoula smokejumper, who’s been working for 14 seasons, says it’s important to rely on your training, stay positive and persevere.
“Having done this for a few years, it’s just trying to know that essentially every season is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Just stay healthy, stay focused and keep having a good time,” said Holloway.
NBC Montana asked both men what they were most proud of during their time jumping.
Kitchen recalled fighting a fire near the Grand Canyon, when he and his crew decided to manage a fire instead of suppressing it when they ponderosa pine trees.
The crew let the fire burn to a plateau, “The Ponderosa pine has about a 20 to 30-year fire return interval in that area,” said Kitchen. “That’s one of the high points as far as land stewardship of my career is seeing fire on a landscape escape and not necessarily suppressing it but allowing it to burn, because then you’re saying it’s good for decades after that.”
Holloway told NBC Montana, while he has “too many to count,” he’s most proud that recently he jumped a 3- to 5-acre fire at Yellowstone National Park.
The fire grew to 8 acres, “So seven days later we got around everything, put it all out and essentially with a good product upon departure. So it’s just a classic example of a smokejumper fire.”
Holloway says staying fit for annual trainings, regardless of experience, is critical to staying fire-ready.
“Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, a certain amount and then a mile and a half in a certain time as well,” said Holloway.
Kitchen told NBC Montana he still does his pullups, pushups and sit-ups.
“Many of my colleagues are still in really fit shape even in their 60s, 70s and 80s,” he said.
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