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Miller Creek fire active; county orders complex incident management team
Summary
Missoula County OEM said a fire that began the evening of July 14 near Miller Creek was visible from town, was estimated at about 500 acres overnight, and prompted the ordering of a complex incident management team and local resources as conditions grow hotter and windier.
Missoula County emergency management officials reported on July 15 that a wildfire near Miller Creek, first identified the evening of July 14, was visible from town and had grown rapidly. Adrienne Beck, director of the county Office of Emergency Management, told The Agenda podcast that a complex incident management team had been ordered and local and national resources were mobilized.
Beck said last-night estimates put the fire at roughly 500 acres and warned that as the county enters a hotter, drier 'burn period' wind and topography could change the fire’s behavior and threaten nearby infrastructure and homes. She noted the incident is near where recent fires burned and emphasized that fires adjacent to communities raise particular concern: “Anytime that we have a fire that becomes that established that quickly, adjacent to our communities and infrastructure… that really is what amps up our concern.”
County officials said they are monitoring conditions and preparing notifications and evacuations as needed; Beck indicated the county may request restrictions from the commissioners to reduce human-caused ignitions but did not set a specific deadline for such action.
