A grass fire that started on a private property near Cobbler Village Terrace west of Kalispell on Wednesday later spread to nearby hay bales, authorities say.

One person was treated on scene for minor injuries, but turned down medical transportation, according to Smith Valley Fire Chief Amy Beick. Some farming equipment, two vehicles and two large stacks of round bale hay were lost in the fire, but no structures were damaged. 

Flames scorched 1.9 acres of land and fire personnel were still working to extinguish the blaze as of 3:25 p.m., Sept. 3. Calls reporting the fire came in at 11:47 a.m., officials said. The rate of spread stopped some time before 2:30 p.m.  

Two helicopters from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation brought water from Ashley Creek across U.S. 2 to help extinguish the flames. Fire personnel on the ground could be seen dousing the flames with a hose while an excavator lifted and separated the burning bales of hay.  

More than 40 firefighters from Smith Valley, West Valley, Somers, Evergreen and Marion fire departments responded to the blaze, as did the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.  

Water tenders and fire engines from each of the fire departments were deployed. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation supplied four engines in addition to the helicopters.  

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Beick said. 

WILDFIRE CREWS also responded to a new blaze that cropped up Tuesday north of Big Mountain. The Hallowat Fire was estimated at 3 acres on Wednesday afternoon. It was burning in a remote area of the Whitefish Range east of Werner Peak and north of Whitefish Mountain Resort. 

West of Noxon on the Montana and Idaho border, the Ulm Creek Fire had burned nearly 400 acres as of Wednesday. It was started by lightning on Aug. 30. 

The Knowles Fire east of Paradise in Sanders County was 52% contained Wednesday, with more than 150 firefighters working the incident. The fire had charred about 3,822 acres since it started Aug. 17.  

Smoke from fires in North Idaho and Western Montana caused air quality in the Flathead Valley on Wednesday to dip to levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. An air quality alert was issued for all Western Montana counties through Thursday morning. 

A change in weather Thursday is expected to push smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana to the west, however it could also open the door for smoke from fires in Canada to reach the valley, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality reported in its smoke forecast.  

A big weather pattern shift over the weekend is likely to bring cooler temperatures and measurable precipitation to the region, which would help moderate fire behavior. Highs in the 60 and lows in the 40s are predicted for the Flathead Valley next week.