The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-24
FOREST FIRES
| STILL MENACE
Much Of Pacific Northwest
Shrouded Under Pail
of Smoke.
FLAMES SPREAD RAPIDLY
Shifting Winds Bring Tempo
rary Safety to St. Regis,

San Francisco, July 24.-Much of
| the Pacific northwest was under a
pail of smoke from grass, brush and
| forest fires burning today In Mon
tana, Idaho, Washington and OREGON.
Lightning was responsible for a
| number, Of new blazes reported and
high wind in many places overcame
the temporary advantage brought by
the slight rainfall which accompanied
the thunder storms to the thousands
of fire fighters who have been for
weeks waging an almost ceaseless
struggle against the flames. In west
ern Montana and northern Idaho, ac-
cording to forest officials, there have
been 612 fires since June 10. About
$500 men are employed in fighting
the fires in that territory. A change
in the wind last night brought tenn
porary safety to the little town OF
st. Regis, Mont. which for several
days has been threatened by fires on
three sides. The most serious fire,
to the north of st. Regis, covered an
area thirty miles In circumference.
Three crews Of 800 men each were
fighting a fire along a fifteen-mile
front in the Blackfeet forest. adjoin-
Ing Glacier National park on the
west. 1t had covered $4,000 acres and
the only hope of extingushing 1t was
said to be heavy rain. Eleven fires
were burning in the Flathead forest
in Montana.
Fires in Washington were confined
to slashings. but were reported
spreading rapidly and threatening
standing timber.
Fires at several points in Oregon
followed an electrical storm yester-
day.
Looks Like Rain.
Portland. Ore, July 24.-With
cooler, cloudy weather thunder
storms and showers predicted for
the next twenty-four hours, hope is
expressed today that numerous fires
in the forests on the western slopes
Of the Cascade mountains in coastal
Oregon and Washington will be
checked. Meanwhile with north
westerly winds prevailing forestry
officials for northern Idaho. at Boise,
and at Missoula for western Montana
and eastern Washington, report fires
raging at many places completely out
Of control and the towns of ST. Regis,
in the Occur d'Alenes, Idaho; Thomp-
son Falls, Henderson and Maiden,
MOnt., III li1IHlucnL odu6Si vi OSile
wiped out unless there is sudden
change in the wind. The severe
thunderstorms accompanied by sharp
lightning. which passed over western
Oregon and Washington yesterday
was followed later by reports from
foresters than many new fires bad
been started by lightning.
One of these blazes is IN the Bull
run reserve, the watershed where
originates Portland's water supply.
Similar reports, though meager as
vet, are coming in from southwest
ern Washington and additional forces
are being dispatched to combat the
fires as rapidly as men can be OBJ
tanned.
All the fires reported started by
lightning, however, were in the
higher attitudes, some of them at the
very peak OF the lower mountains
while the little rain that fell drenched
the lowJands and valleys, making
conditions more favorable for fire
fighters.
Forestry officials at Mlssoula,
Mont, estimate that so far this sea-
son forest fires have burned over
$50, 900 acres Of land in Montana and
10000 acres in northern Idaho.
Thirty million feet Of timber mas oecn
destroyed in Montana and 75,O0o,0OO
feet in northern Idaho.