May 14, 2018 - 3:35 PM
MISSOULA, Mont. - The Latest on flooding near Missoula (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
The Clark Fork River near Missoula is closed to recreation due to downed power lines and other debris in the fast-moving water.
The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks ordered the closure Monday from the Reserve Street Bridge in Missoula to the Kona Bridge west of the city.
Area officials asked the state to close the waterway after a week of flooding.
The closure applies to all water-based recreation including wading, swimming, floating, boating and fishing.
NorthWestern Energy had shut off the power to the lines before they fell across the river.
11:35 a.m.
Floodwaters in western Montana knocked down power lines west of Missoula over the weekend.
NorthWestern Energy had shut off power to the lines, but the lines themselves remain a danger to anyone using the river.
Missoula County sheriff's spokesman Mel Holtz says the flooding Clark Fork River eroded dirt away from the base of a power pole, causing it to fall on Sunday.
Fishing access sites in the Missoula area are closed. The Missoulian reports the river is carrying debris from trees, outbuildings and trailer homes that are breaking up due to the rushing water.
Moderate to major flooding is expected to continue in the Missoula area for weeks.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018