South Yaak Fire

The smoldering eastern side of then-rapidly growing South Yaak Fire. This wildfire was caused by lightning in early July, and initially thought to be contained ...
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The smoldering eastern side of then-rapidly growing South Yaak Fire. This wildfire was caused by lightning in early July, and initially thought to be contained for a handful of days as resources were pulled and placed on the Ruby Fire (a couple of miles away).

The South Yaak Fire ended up being the more serious of the two, however. It expanded quickly, thanks to a large amount of rolling debris, which sparked an odd sort of downslope burn - toward roads and residences. This fire was also uncomfortably close to my neighborhood, though it posed a more serious threat to those homes on the other side of the highway. Fortunately, this wildfire was eventually contained.

PSA: I can't believe this needs to be said, but this is NOT a drone shot. We drove up a mountain and probably breathed more smoke than we should have. Please do not be the jerk who grounds firefighting aircraft because you needed to shoot your shot!

NW Montana. July 2021.
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