Forest fire smokes out Stillwater

A night shift was cancelled at the Stillwater palladium-platinum mine in Montana after smoke from a nearby forest fire closed several roads.

Stillwater Mining (SWC-N) cancelled the shift and was waiting to see if conditions improved before resuming work. Dawn McCurtain of Stillwater said there was “not a definite answer yet” on whether the afternoon shift would go ahead.

The Derby Mountain fire has burned about 100 sq. km of forest in Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties and forced the evacuation of two communities. State police closed Interstate 90, the main east-west route across Montana, and a number of local roads.

A cold front was expected to pass Thursday, bringing wind but not rain and encouraging the fire to spread. State authorities rated the fire as having a high growth potential in the near term.