Some evacuation orders lifted, others still in place

SEELEY LAKE, Mont. (AP) — Some evacuation orders have been lifted in areas near Montana wildfires but many were still burning Wednesday and officials said residents should be prepared for some of the fires to last for at least another month.

“It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better,” Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse told residents, the Great Falls Tribune reported. “We’re just going to have to hunker down and get through it together.”

Northeast of Lincoln, some evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday night. But mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for residents of Elk Meadows due to a growing fire. Other people should be prepared to leave, said Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton. The fire could continue burning into October.

Meanwhile, the Missoula County sheriff’s office downgraded a mandatory evacuation order for part of the western Montana town of Seeley Lake, which continues to deal with hazardous air quality due to nearby wildfires.

Residents of the 429 homes