The Latest: Evacuation order north of Missoula

MISSOULA, Mont. – The Latest on Montana’s wildfires (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office has lifted evacuation orders for homes near Upper Grant Creek after firefighters contained a threatening blaze.

The sheriff’s office posted the announcement Tuesday afternoon on its Facebook page. Authorities are asking nonresidents to stay out of the area 4 miles north of Interstate 90 to keep the roadways clear.

KECI-TV is reporting the fire that broke out Monday was 100 per cent contained.

About two dozen homes had been evacuated.

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1:55 p.m.

A Missoula County sheriff’s official says authorities are planning to lift evacuation orders Tuesday evening for homes threatened by a wildfire near Upper Grant Creek.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Brenda Bassett tells the Missoulian (http://bit.ly/2betHdn) that fire crews are reporting good progress. She says the sheriff’s office will post on Facebook when the mandatory evacuation is lifted.

Bassett says the initial cause of the fire that started Monday appears to be a downed power line caused by high winds.

About two dozen homes have been evacuated about 4 miles north of Interstate 90.

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9 a.m.

A trailer has burned and about two dozen homes have been evacuated as aircraft dropped retardant to beat back a new fire burning north of Missoula.

KECI-TV reports the trailer’s resident is safe.

Lolo National Forest spokesman Boyd Hartwig says the fire is burning in the Colorado Gulch area about 4 miles north of Interstate 90.

Hartwig tells the Missoulian the retardant has helped keep the blaze in check.

Monday’s low humidity and gusting winds also caused the rapid spread of another new fire burning in northwestern Montana west of Lakeside.

There are between 75 and 100 homes and structures within a half-mile of the perimeter.

Early Monday morning, authorities ordered evacuations east of Thompson Falls after a fire doubled in size to nearly 11 square miles.