Update July 30, 2022, 9:19 p.m.:
The Montana Highway Patrol announced that Montana Highway 28 has reopened to traffic. Drivers still need to be alert for smoke and fire trucks in the area.
The CSKT Fire Department advises that the evacuation of Chief Cliff Estates has been cancelled.
The fire is estimated at 7,000 hectares and the cause is still under investigation.
The airspace over the Elmo Fire has been temporarily restricted.
Update July 30, 2022 at 4:40 p.m.:
The CSKT Fire Department reports that residents along Route 28 have been allowed to return to their homes.
Route 28 remains closed to the public.
A Red Cross point has been established for evacuees in Polsan.
CSKT says the fire continues to grow toward Dayton.
The following is a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 at 9:06 a.m. on July 30, 2022:
Due to imminent safety concerns, FWP is closing Lake Mary Ronan State Park and Big Arm State Park in Lake County due to wildfire danger.
As of the morning of July 30, an evacuation order was in place for the Elmo area on the west shore of Flathead Lake around Montana Highway 28 and Lake Mary Ronan Road from Mile 5 to US Highway 93. Elmo 2 fire burns in the area.
Campers at Lake Mary Ronan State Park and Big Arm State Park have been evacuated and the sites are closed until safety concerns are resolved at further notice.
The Montana Red Cross has opened a shelter at Linderman School, 312 4ththousand Ave. E. in Polson, for those displaced by the fire. Residents can also request services by calling 800-272-6668.
ELMO, Mont. — A 2,000-acre wildfire has broken out near Elmo, prompting evacuations and road closures.
Not far from the anniversary of the Boulder 2700 fire, another fire started near Flathead Lake. The fire is now burning along Highway 28, about seven miles to the west.
CSKT CT Camel Fire Officer tells us Highway 28 is now closed and that the blaze has exceeded 2,000 acres, making it the largest fire in Station Montana this wildfire season.
Kamel also says three dozen homes near Elm are being evacuated.
According to a report from the Montana Department of Transportation, the area has zero viability and Highway 28 is closed between Hot Springs and Elmo. The Polson Chamber of Commerce posted on its social media account that at least seven different agencies responded and about 120 firefighters headed north of the city. Several planes and helicopters are also responding.
Brigades are evacuating livestock and units in the district. And the Red Cross is setting up an evacuation center at Linderman School.
A Level 3 evacuation is required near Elm. The area southeast of Elmo is level 1. The area northwest of Dayton is level 2.
This article will be updated with more information as it develops.
https://www.indianagazette.com/news/national/elmo-fire-mt-highway-28-reopens/article_c9d7add1-cc79-5ab5-979d-ff690663ff76.html
