LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: With 300,000 acres destroyed by flames and the big sky shrouded in smoke, the governor of Montana is now closing some six million acres of his state to the public. Montana fires are among 70 major blazes burning out of control this morning over nearly a million acres of the West. CNN's Don Knapp is in the western Montana town of Missoula this morning. He joins us now by telephone. How do things look this morning so far, Don?</s>DON KNAPP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very smoky, Leon. The forests are so dry, so ready to burn, the governor, Marc Racicot, has ordered state and private forest lands closed to the public, and he plans to close national forests and tribal lands today, a total of 6 to 8 million acres. As of late last evening, red flag warnings remained in effect to signal that fire and weather conditions are at their most dangerous level with a possibility that the now smoldering forest could quickly reignite the fire storms that have already destroyed more than 50 homes and more than 20 other buildings. Fire managers say they are working with only about 25 percent of the crews they say they need. Yesterday, we talked with firefighters on the line from Canada as well as from across the United States. More crews are also expected from Nova Scotia and as far as way -- far away as Australia. Those who are here are working 14-day shifts before rotating out for a single day of rest and then going back at it. Meanwhile, it seems everyone in the Bitterroot Valley, from Missoula to Darby, about 55 miles, is living in and breathing thick, heavy smoke. Now, this smoke is an indication of the inversion layer that's really keeping down winds and, on one hand, is a benefit to the firefighters, but on the other it is making things so smoky that helicopters and air tankers can't fly and can't drop their loads on the fires. The latest tally so far indicate that, here in the Bitterroot Valley, 164,840 acres are burning or have burned. Reporting live, Don Knapp, CNN, Missoula, Montana.</s>HARRIS: All right, thanks, Don.
Wildfires Prompt Montana Governor to Close Millions of Acres to Public