50 structures reported lost in Paradise blaze

The fast-moving River Road East fire in Paradise burned at least 50 structures last weekend, including 13 homes, according to the Sanders County Sheriff.

According to the Sanders County Ledger, Sheriff Shawn Fielders shared the structure loss figure Tuesday. The Thompson Falls-based newspaper reported that one of the non-residential structures burned was the “iconic barn along Highway 200 at Kennedy Creek just east of Paradise.” A Ledger photo showed a singed silo alongside smoldering rubble where the historic white barn once stood. The Ledger reported that at least some of the structures burned were homes up McLaughlin Creek. The area is 52 miles northwest of Missoula.

The fire, of undetermined origin, started on Aug. 18 and quickly exploded to thousands of acres. A Sanders County official said at a public fire information meeting that the blaze burned 12,000 acres in less than 12 hours, according to the Ledger.

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