Firefighters at the Elmo 2 fire turned to structure protection Monday night as the fire exploded off of dry fuels and high winds. The fire has burnt more than 16,000 acres and is at 10% containment as of Tuesday.
A hotshot firefighter works to contain blazes from the Elmo 2 fire as it encroaches on a residence on Highway 93 outside Elmo on Aug. 1. Hotshot crews from all over the state worked through the night Monday setting up defensive perimeters near homes along the west side of Flathead Lake. Containment of the fire was at 10% as of Tuesday.
Amaja Atonson and her family evacuated with their three dogs from their Lake Mary Ronan residence on Aug. 1 as Elmo 2 fire activity continues to encroach on the Dayton community. Evacuation notices are still in effect for residents south of Lake Mary Ronan Road and west of Highway 93.
View of the Elmo 2 fire from Highway 93 on Aug. 1. One of Montana’s longest state highways was closed to traffic as fire crews work to contain the growing fire near Elmo and Dayton.
Fire activity erupts next to a home off of Highway 93 outside Elmo on Aug. 1. Hotshot crews worked through Monday night setting a defensive perimeter around the residence.
A town resident checks her phone outside the Elmo powwow grounds as the Elmo 2 fire burns in the background.
Lake Mary Ronan resident Amaja Atonson watches smoke rising from the Elmo 2 fire from the Dayton post office next to her dad Jeremy on Aug. 1. The pair had been waiting for Amaja’s mom to evacuate their Lake Mary Ronan home.
Amaja Atonson, left, and her dad Jeremy wait at the Dayton post office parking lot for her mom to finish evacuating from their home. The family was recommended to leave their home as the Elmo 2 fire continues to encroach on Dayton and Lake Mary Ronan residences.
Hotshot crews gear up as they try to contain Elmo 2 fire activity near a residence on Highway 93.
Elmo and Dayton residents listen to updates from the Elmo 2 fire during a public meeting at the town’s powwow grounds on Aug. 1. The Northern Rockies Team 7, a Type II Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander John Thompson, has been working since Friday to contain the blaze.
A hotshot firefighter works setting up a defensive perimeter around a home off of Highway 93 near Elmo on Aug. 1.
A hotshot firefighter surveys fire activity near a home off of Highway 93 outside Elmo on Aug. 1. The Elmo 2 fire currently sits at 16,226 acres.
A helicopter carries a water tank in efforts to contain the Elmo 2 fire. Aerial efforts to combat the fire are being used as it threatens residences in Elmo, Dayton and Lake Mary Ronan.
Residents listen to fire updates at a fire information meeting at the Elmo powwow grounds on Aug.2 as the Elmo 2 fire burns in the background. The blaze had burned more than 16,000 acres as of Tuesday morning.
Flathead County sheriff’s deputies block incoming traffic on Lake Mary Ronan Road due to ongoing Elmo 2 fire activity on Aug. 1.
A hotshot firefighter carries a hand tool as crews work through the night on Aug. 1 in efforts to contain the Elmo 2 fire near residences on Highway 93.
A Montana hotshot crew officer patrols fire activity near Highway 93 outside Elmo on Aug. 1. Hotshot crews from all over the state flocked to the Flathead in efforts to contain the fire.
Kelli Roemer, public information officer with the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team, briefs Elmo and Dayton residents about recent fire activity from the Elmo 2 fire during a fire information meeting at the Elmo powwow grounds on Aug. 1.
Bruce Giersdorf, a fire behavior analyst assigned to the Elmo 2 fire, updates the public on weather activity around the Flathead region at the Elmo powwow ground. Monday’s high winds and above-average temperatures exacerbated activity on the Elmo 2 fire.
Originally published on missoulian.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.