Wildfires kick up across Montana, largest over 6,000 acres

At least seven large wildfires were burning in Montana on Saturday after a slow start to the fire season in the Treasure State.

The state reports there have been 1,672 reported wildfires this year, including 78 in the last week. There were seven Montana fires on the National Interagency Fire Center’s daily situation report on Saturday: Bivens Creek, Windy Rock, Cloudrest, Summer Springs, Horn, Mission Butte, and Pony Creek.

There were 273 people assigned to those seven fires on Saturday, according to the report, and the burns are estimated to have cost approximately $2 million to fight so far. No structures have been reported lost in those blazes.

Mission Butte

The largest fire burning in the state is the Mission Butte fire, which is three miles from St. Xavier in Big Horn County.

According to the state’s fire site, it was at 6,149 acres, which would make it the largest fire this year in Montana. It was primarily burning tall grass and brush. The fire was active, with flanking and torching behavior, state reports on the fire noted.

That fire is primarily being managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Crow Agency.

Horn

Burning in Madison County, the Horn fire briefly caused evacuation orders this week, though those were lifted on Friday morning.

Evacuation warnings are in effect for residents east of Highway 87 and south of Highway 287. The fire is burning 17 miles northwest of West Yellowstone, between Cliff Lake and Highway 87. The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation said the fire was estimated at 2,800 acres and was caused by lightning.

Several roads are closed in the area: Horn Creek Road, Cliff Lake Road, and Wade Lake Road. Highway 87 was briefly closed during the fire, and state officials asked residents to be mindful of fire traffic on the road.

The DNRC noted it’s now a Type 3 incident, and resources on the ground include fire crews, 10 engines, a water tender and a bulldozer. Helicopters are also assisting.

The fire was about 50% contained on Saturday. Crews are mostly engaged in mop-up operations, the fire’s report on Inciweb stated. Fuels were primarily grass and brush.

Windy Rock

Burning 12 miles north of Garrison, the Windy Rock fire was at 600 acres and 0% contained on Saturday.

The cause was unknown. A community meeting for the fire will be held at the Avon Community Center at 208 Main St. at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17. The fire is currently jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the DNRC.

“There are a lot of structures close to the fire perimeter,” said Carmen Borchelt, the public information officer for the fire.

It was “extremely active” on Friday, the Inciweb report on the fire noted. A heavy air tanker and four helicopters were assigned to the fire. It’s burning dead and downed fuels, and access to the fire has been a challenge for firefighters, the report noted. Fire behavior included spotting, group torching and uphill runs.

The fire is moving to the east, Borchelt said. The BLM has also issued a closure order for all of its public land in Powell County. Containment is at 0%, and there are other factors at play with this fire, too.

“The Windy Rock Fire is located near a Wilderness Study Area and a Backcountry Conservation Area, requiring fire operations to take special considerations for these landscapes,” the Inciweb report said.

Cloudrest

A large fire burning in the Tobacco Root Mountains was at 500 acres and “spread rapidly,” an incident overview for the fire stated.

It was discovered on Aug. 14 and is burning at an elevation of 8,100 feet through subalpine fir timber about 9 miles northeast of Sheridan in the Madison Ranger District. Fuels include dead and downed timber, with a large amount of hazard trees or “snags”.

A helicopter did respond to the fire, which was reported via the Alert West camera system. Ten people are assigned to the fire, though additional resources were ordered.

There have been three straight days of critical fire conditions, and the fire’s origin was unknown.

Bivens Creek

Burning near the Cloudrest fire, the Bivens Creek fire is burning 11 miles northeast of Adler and 10 miles east of Sheridan.

The fire was reported on Aug. 13, which prompted a response that included a helicopter. The fire was listed at 500 acres, and its cause was undetermined. There were 35 people assigned to the fire, which is burning through subalpine fir. Behavior consisted of smoldering, creeping, group tree torching and spotting.

Weather, which like the Cloudrest fire has seen three straight days of critical fire weather, is also a concern.

“Firefighters engaged the fire, cutting sawline on the western edge until gusty winds associated with the RED FLAG WARNING prompted fire leadership to pull the crews back to safer areas,” the Inciweb fire report noted.

Summer Springs

The Summer Springs fire, reported on Aug. 13, was at 2,568 acres and at 55% containment.

It’s burning 13 miles southeast of Custer and was caused by lightning. The DNRC had demobilized its county assist team from the fire, Saturday’s Inciweb report on the fire noted.

“Today, crews will continue mop up operations and rehabilitate the control line. Containment of the fire is expected to rise significantly by this evening,” the report stated.