SNAPSHOT

At 3,800 acres, the West Riverside, or Bonner, fire just east of Missoula was one of the largest in Montana last year. Missoula photographer ROBIN POOLE caught sight of the blaze the first night it erupted in late August. “I live just over the hill and could see the smoke as I was driving home,” he says. Making sure he was not impeding fire trucks, Poole drove to a frontage road, set up his camera, and began shooting. “I was lucky because it was dusk and there was still some dark blue in the sky. And then there was that orange and yellow of the blaze. I think the orange color came from the waning effects of the setting sun behind that hill.” The photographer says the fire continued burning for another four weeks. “It got to the point where I could see it from my house and was afraid it would reach us. Fortunately, firefighters got it out before that happened.” ■