Wildfire near Polson forces evacuations and road closures

A wildfire reported Saturday morning near Polson has forced officials to order some evacuations and close a highway.

The Boulder 2700 Fire is burning in the Mission Mountains east of Flathead Lake and eight miles east of Polson, according to a Facebook postby the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Division of Fire.

Evacuations have been ordered for homes below the fire on Highway 35, which has been closed in the area to reduce the risk to firefighters and the public, the agency said. The Lake County Sheriff's Office and local rural fire departments are handling the evacuations.

The B-2700 road off of Highway 35 has also been closed.

The fire was initially estimated at 150 acres and burning in a steep area with heavy downed fuels, the post states.

Fire activity was expected to increase throughout the day.

The fire is believed to be human-caused and is under investigation.

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding this fire should contact the Division of Fire at 676-2550 or contact C.T. Camel, Fire Information Officer, at 406-676-2550 ext. 6407 or email: ct.camel@cskt.org