Fire Season

Edit (8/23/2011):  According to the latest InciWeb reports, the Saddle Fire, the one to the southwest, made a run of 17,000 acres on the 22nd and is now up to 18,275 acres.  The fire started in Idaho, but has now burned into the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana.  The Lutz Fire, the one to the north, is now up to 260 acres.  Typical Montana summer.

Even with the long, wet spring and above-average snowpack, we're going to have a fire season this year.  Among several wildfires burning across the west are two on either side of me, though neither is very large or very close. About 20 miles to the north is a fire of about 177 acres, and fifty miles to the southwest is another of about 748 acres.  Between them, they've made things around here look and smell rather smoky.  (All the current fires are detailed here.)

Sunlight and smoke create some nice visual effects.