Rain Drowns Rice Ridge Fire, Fire Camp Moving Out This Week

The rice ridge fire near Seeley Lake has been hit with rain and snow in recent weeks and according to Fire Information Officer Glenda Scott, the recent drenching over the weekend has put out all of the worrisome hotspots.

"Saturday there was a little bit of smoke coming out of what we call the 'swamp' over on the west side of the fire, and a few scattered smokes, but Sunday it rained really good and it's pretty wet, so it is doubtful that there's any lingering smoke of any concern, nothing where we are patrolling, nothing close to the line that's of any concern," Scott said

The crew on the Rice Ridge fire is believed to be the last type II Incident Management Team left in the region, and they’re going to start packing up Tuesday.

"The camp is going to be de-mobed, so there will be no more small city there south of Seeley Lake," Scott said. "The community has been very gracious and I know that all of the teams have appreciated the support from the community and from the general western Montana area. We've gotten letters and  all kinds of things, so we know that people across the west are appreciative and we appreciate that too."

Scott expects the camp to be emptied by Wednesday, unless rain interferes with the de-mobilization.