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Council hears update on nearby wildfire, evacuations and multiagency response
Summary
At a Stevensville Town Council meeting, a staff member reported a multiagency response to a nearby wildfire that had burned roughly 50 acres, prompted evacuations and used multiple aircraft; officials warned of valley smoke for the season.
A town staff member told the Stevensville Town Council on July 16 that a wildfire burning outside town had prompted a multiagency response, evacuations and aerial firefighting. The staff member said the fire had burned “somewhere around 50, a little over 50 acres” and that local agencies were on scene under mutual aid.
The update came during the council’s meeting opening. The staff member said Stevensville had six local personnel assigned, Florence contributed two personnel and other neighboring agencies deployed staff and aircraft. “We have multiple aircraft running it. Somewhere around 50, a little over 50 acres right now,” the staff member said. The staff member added that evacuations were underway and that people and animals had been displaced.
Why it matters: the fire stretched local personnel and changed coverage patterns in the valley; town officials said remaining staff were covering the north end of the valley while crews fought the blaze.
Council members and staff described the response as mutual-aid driven: local fire and public-safety units staffed a command post, and multiple aircraft supported suppression. The staff member said crews expected smoke in the valley “for the rest of the season and the rest of the summer.”
The council did not take formal action related to the fire during the meeting. No evacuation orders or shelter locations were announced in the meeting record; the staff member said other agencies were managing on-scene evacuations and animal care.
