Roaring Lion Fire Moves into Sawtooth Canyon

The Roaring Lion Fire has moved both south and north during Sunday night. It is now in both the Roaring Lion and Sawtooth Canyons about 5 miles southwest of Hamilton.

The fire crews stayed on the firelines during the night, trying to protect the 500 homes in danger. The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office is maintaining a closed area in a large portion of the west side of the valley between Hamilton and Lost Horse Canyon.

A U.S. Forest Service Type 1 Incident Management team is arriving today (Monday) to take over management of the firefight.

The public is asked to stay away from the fire area south of Hamilton to allow fire traffic access to areas. US 93 could be closed again, depending on fire activity. But, if you are allowed on the highway that passes by the fire, please do not stop to take pictures. And, a reminder - do not fly any drone vehicles in the fire area.

The Red Cross has emergency shelter available at First Baptist Church at the corner of Lewis and Cooper Lanes southeast of Hamilton. The Ravalli County Emergency Operations Center is open at (406) 375-6650 for information about evacuation areas and shelter for pets and animals.