Montana Wildfire News

Updated 5:19 p.m., August 1, 2019 Lightning near the south end of the Bitterroot National Forest Wednesday night has sparked a one-tenth acre fire west of Hamilton in the Canyon Creek drainage next to Blodgett Canyon. Forest Service spokesperson Tod McKay says a few firefighters have been working on the blaze near Barley Creek this afternoon; helicopters have also made water bucket drops.

Updated: 5:30 p.m., July 31, 2019 New forest closures were announced due to the North Hills Fire north of Helena, which has burned more than 4,700 acres. The Forest Service closure includes the southern Gates of the Mountain wilderness boundary, extending south along the York/Nelson road to York. It also goes west along York Road to the forest boundary, then north following the boundary and Missouri River.

Updated 4:50 p.m. A little after 4 p.m. the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s office Facebook page announced a new evacuation due to a new wildfire for the Beaver Creek area near Nelson. It says a roadblock is in place at the York Bar preventing traffic from traveling north. Travel is still permitted east toward Vigilante Campground.

There’s a public meeting about the North Hills Fire being held at this hour at the Helena Valley Community Center. That fire, first reported Friday afternoon, quickly blew up to more than 4,000 acres, causing evacuation orders to be issued for an estimated 400 homes. Among the evacuees is Erin Vang, who left her home Saturday quickly.

Updated 4:45 p.m., July 29, 2019 Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management says it will live-stream tonight's 6:00 p.m. public meeting on the North Hills Fire on it's Facebook page, and that Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will, too. Click here to go to Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management's Facebook page.

Updated 10:45 p.m. July 26, 2019. The Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office has ordered evacuations near Helena due to growing danger from the North Hills Fire. Residents near the intersection of Snowdrift and Ferry, east to Hauser Dam Road are ordered to evacuate the area.

Updated 5:45 p.m., July 25. The two-day-old Beeskove Fire in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area north of Missoula grew from less than an acre to roughly 35 acres overnight. Several trails were closed today, including the main Rattlesnake Creek Trail, East Fork Rattlesnake Trail, Mineral Peak Trail, Rattlesnake Horse Trailhead and portions of the Sheep Mountain Trail.

A lightning-caused fire was reported in the Rattlesnake Recreation Area north of Missoula. The Lolo National Forest posted on its Facebook page that the fire was called into the Missoula Interagency Dispatch Center at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The fire is located approximately 4.5 miles up the main Rattlesnake travel corridor (Trail 515), on the south side of Rattlesnake Creek.

North-central and southwest Montana are facing elevated fire danger this week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). After a fairly cool, wet summer, the area is beginning to see the dry, warm weather that could lead to fires.

Yellowstone National Park says that its Mount Holmes Fire Lookout burned to the ground Tuesday afternoon after being struck by lightning. The fire also damaged a park radio repeater. The fire lookout is located southwest of Mammoth Hot Springs and north of Madison Junction.