Watch Thermal Time Lapse Footage of Big Knife Fire in Arlee

Fire season has officially arrived in Montana. We all knew it was only a matter of time. After a few weeks of hot and dry temperatures, fire season erupted almost as if it was on cue. Multiple fires have sparked in western Montana.

According to mtfireinfo.org:

There are currently 75 active fires burning in Montana. With a whopping 997 total fires so far this year. The top three fires as of right now include the Middle Ridge fire in Sanders County, the Colt fire in Missoula County, the Niarada Fire in Flathead County, and the Big Knife fire near Arlee. These fires are all currently burning in the thousands of acres.

With the fire comes smoke. Sometimes becoming so thick that you cannot see the devastation of the fire beneath it. The Big Knife fire outside of Arlee has got a webcam set up nearby that allows people to see the fire in real-time. The webcam also allows a person to view the fire using thermal imaging. Which allows you to see through the blanket of smoke and witness the heat and flames making their way of the ridges of the mountainside.

According to a video posted on the Arlee Facebook page

The people who live back there cannot see the fire from their homes. This gives them a view of the fire and a chance to see 'under' the smoke.

The graph under the thermal is the heat indicator. Blue being cold, white being very hot. The thermal camera has a temperature measurement range from -40°C to +550°C (-40°F to 1022°F).

Keep up-to-date on all of the latest wildfire news in western Montana here.