The National Weather Service issued the warning Thursday morning. It is predicting west winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts of 25 to 35 mph. With minimum humidity levels between 7 and 15%, the combination is ripe for extreme fire conditions.
While the area falls within the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site, Kootenai National Forest Fire Manager Officer Dan Rose said only one of the three fires was in Operable Unit 3, which contains the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine.