Little East Fork Road residents remain under evacuation orders due to Johnson’s Fire. The fire has expanded more than 3,000 acres in the past week after being sparked by lightning in late July. Evacuation orders are also in effect for residents of Frog Pond Basin due to the Daly Fire.

Rich Martinez is a firefighter and public information officer working at the Johnson Fire. He said crews were preemptively burning brush behind evacuated homes Monday night.

“It went really well; it looked really clean,” Martinez said in a phone interview. “Just a nice burn of the underbrush that went uphill.”

Martinez said more than 150 officers have responded to the Johnson fire, and additional fire trucks and water trucks are on the way.

Meanwhile, managers claim that Sharrott Creek Fire It is now 3% contained after expanding south and west – largely away from populated areas.

Thick smoke blanketed much of western Montana on Labor Day, causing air quality to reach “unhealthy” levels. Department of Environmental Quality says wildfires in western Montana and Idaho contributed to the smoke, including the 9,000-acre Wye Fire burning west of Hamilton, across the state line.

A low-pressure system could provide some relief from smoke on Tuesday and Wednesday, but forecasters warn that another period of hot, dry conditions through the end of the week will likely accelerate fire growth and smoke production.

The Grouse Fire burning 4,822 acres ten miles south of Wise River is 22 percent contained, according to the latest report. Firefighters are working to extinguish remaining heat and prevent the fire from spreading. Warm, dry, unstable weather could cause increased fire activity.

Find more information on how prepare for evacuation in case of a forest fire or improve air filtration in your home.