EBS STAFF
BIG SKY – Despite a wet spring, wildfire season has made its way to Montana. Recent hot, dry conditions have contributed to wildfire ignitions and growth across the West. The Elmo Fire near Flathead Lake has burned more than 20,000 acres since it began on July 29 and destroyed multiple homes, forcing closures and evacuations. The Clover Fire southwest of Ennis began on July 13 and has scorched more than 1,000 acres. Crews are actively fighting to contain these fires, along with others in the state, and the public is advised to use caution in fire-prone landscapes. Idaho’s Moose Fire, burning upward of 74,000 acres near the Salmon River, has sent intermittent clouds of smoke over to Big Sky.