Forest Fires in the West

tsetsaf wrote:
Not to minimize the fire situation but living in Anacortes your main focus should be on the ongoing and non-news covered fukushima meltdown. The level of radiation pouring into the oceans is beyond compare and over the long term a much more dangerous problem than a few forest fires.

Quite a bit off topic, and probably not appropriate here, but we're aware and watching. Tick, tick, tick.

Actually the forest fires are an indication of another time bomb, but again that's for another forum.

Not to minimize the fire situation but living in Anacortes your main focus should be on the ongoing and non-news covered fukushima meltdown. The level of radiation pouring into the oceans is beyond compare and over the long term a much more dangerous problem than a few forest fires.

Just got back from western Montana and idaho, yes there are fires, and some areas are pretty smokey. We actually stopped off the highway near Dillon Mt. to watch a trio of helicopters picking up water from the river near the highway and dumping on a fire near the freeway. Pretty smokey in that area and near Lews and clark Caverns.

Out of Missoula over Lolo Pass there was also lots of smoke from fires but that started to clear, but when we got to Orofino ID, smoke was heavy again from nearby fires. And lots of helicopters near Orofino picking up water from the clearwater river for the nearby fires.

Saw lots of burned areas visible from the highways along the whole trip, and we weren't out of the woods in Oregon, Big fire coming down the columbia river gorge as well.

But then, this is probably pretty typical of the august fire season. I've been in Montana/ID this time of year when fires were much worse, and other years fewer.

There are number of webcams in and around Yellowstone.

yellowstone fire info on inciweb.org

Yellowstone Fire Information Line
Phone: 307-344-2580

heading to Yellowstone next week. wonder what the smoke cloud is like around there?

SteveAE wrote:
You might want to use this website for the most up to date fire information.

Steve

Thanks, that's a better view of things.

You might want to use this website for the most up to date fire information.

Steve

Plus the 2 major Idaho fires are all but fully contained, so they are winding down and sending the fire crews to other fires. However, we are supposed to have thunderstorms starting tonight in the central mountains, so who knows what tomorrow will bring.

The major Idaho fires are not in Northern Idaho but are in the region near Sun Valley and Ketchum.