Less than a week after raising the fire danger to "Very High", the Bitterroot National Forest now has reached the "Extreme" rating. The highest level of danger on the forest was caused by the hot, dry weather and the dry fuel conditions, reaching between 97 and 99 percent throughout the ranger districts.
Fire Management Officer Mark Wilson said, "I don't believe we've ever gone to this fire danger level this early on the forest. Last week, I said our high temperatures and dry fuel conditions were 'unprecedented' and 'record-setting.' You can now add 'historic' to the 2021 fire season, which is already shaping up to be one of the hottest and driest on record."