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Triple-Digit Heat Stokes New Montana Wildfires
Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were expected Wednesday
BILLINGS – A new wave of wildfires ignited in eastern and south-central Montana Tuesday as forecasters warned that near-record temperatures and wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour could lead to explosive fire growth.
A 30-acre fire reported Tuesday afternoon about 6 miles southwest of Roscoe ballooned to 600 acres in just a few hours, said Paula Short with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
She said about 50 to 60 vacation homes in the Roscoe area were potentially threatened, although no evacuations were immediately ordered.
"This fire has tons of potential. It's got a lot of fuel out there, a lot of erratic winds," Short said.
Another new fire was reported on 70 acres in the Gallatin National Forest about 20 miles south of Bozeman.
A red flag warning for critical fire conditions was in effect for most of Montana, western North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota through Wednesday.
Forecasters cautioned against any activities that might produce sparks, warning that new fires could quickly take hold and existing fires could expand.
Temperatures hit the triple digits in parts of the parched region and were expected to climb even higher Wednesday. A cold front is expected to descend on the state by Thursday behind the gusting winds.
Crews were battling a fire east of Roundup that already had scorched 63 square miles. More than 400 personnel were working the blaze, known as the Delphia Fire.
It was reported 60 percent contained, but authorities warned it could break through hastily-constructed fire lines if the winds are as strong as forecast.
"With the winds that are predicted and the single digit humidity, it could easily cross those lines," said Gregg DeNitto with the U.S. Forest Service. "And if it hits more fuels, there's an extremely strong chance we could have a new fire start."
Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were expected Wednesday, DeNitto said.
An estimated 80 homes in rural areas of Musselshell County were threatened by the fire. Officials said 15 to 20 outbuildings have burned.
DeNitto said crews were using a two-pronged strategy to limit the damage: Hose down or otherwise extinguish burning embers just inside the fire perimeter, while patrolling unburned areas on the outside of fire lines in search of any new outbreaks.
Elsewhere in the state, a 1 1/2-square-mile wildfire burning east of Livingston was 80 percent contained Tuesday after briefly threatening a house under construction near the Yellowstone River.
Authorities told the Livingston Enterprise that a Park County sheriff's deputy saw the fire sparked by lightning on Monday afternoon.
Several other fires were burning in and near western Montana's Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wildernesses, creating a thick haze that could be seen from Missoula, but no structures were being threatened.
North of Lincoln, the 12-acre Stonewall Fire near Lincoln was threatening a Forest Service lookout station. That fire was sparked Monday by an afternoon lightning strike.
More lightning strikes were reported in the Lincoln area overnight Monday. Fire spokeswoman Kathy Bushnell said none had materialized into fires as of Tuesday afternoon, but added that lightning-caused fires can sometimes smolder for days before they grow significantly.
Three other western Montana fires — near the towns of Drummond, Condon and Ovando — have scorched a combined four square miles. Crews were reporting some containment on each fire Tuesday.
A 30-acre fire reported Tuesday afternoon about 6 miles southwest of Roscoe ballooned to 600 acres in just a few hours, said Paula Short with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
She said about 50 to 60 vacation homes in the Roscoe area were potentially threatened, although no evacuations were immediately ordered.
"This fire has tons of potential. It's got a lot of fuel out there, a lot of erratic winds," Short said.
A red flag warning for critical fire conditions was in effect for most of Montana, western North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota through Wednesday.
Forecasters cautioned against any activities that might produce sparks, warning that new fires could quickly take hold and existing fires could expand.
Temperatures hit the triple digits in parts of the parched region and were expected to climb even higher Wednesday. A cold front is expected to descend on the state by Thursday behind the gusting winds.
Crews were battling a fire east of Roundup that already had scorched 63 square miles. More than 400 personnel were working the blaze, known as the Delphia Fire.
It was reported 60 percent contained, but authorities warned it could break through hastily-constructed fire lines if the winds are as strong as forecast.
"With the winds that are predicted and the single digit humidity, it could easily cross those lines," said Gregg DeNitto with the U.S. Forest Service. "And if it hits more fuels, there's an extremely strong chance we could have a new fire start."
Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were expected Wednesday, DeNitto said.
An estimated 80 homes in rural areas of Musselshell County were threatened by the fire. Officials said 15 to 20 outbuildings have burned.
DeNitto said crews were using a two-pronged strategy to limit the damage: Hose down or otherwise extinguish burning embers just inside the fire perimeter, while patrolling unburned areas on the outside of fire lines in search of any new outbreaks.
Elsewhere in the state, a 1 1/2-square-mile wildfire burning east of Livingston was 80 percent contained Tuesday after briefly threatening a house under construction near the Yellowstone River.
Authorities told the Livingston Enterprise that a Park County sheriff's deputy saw the fire sparked by lightning on Monday afternoon.
Several other fires were burning in and near western Montana's Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wildernesses, creating a thick haze that could be seen from Missoula, but no structures were being threatened.
North of Lincoln, the 12-acre Stonewall Fire near Lincoln was threatening a Forest Service lookout station. That fire was sparked Monday by an afternoon lightning strike.
More lightning strikes were reported in the Lincoln area overnight Monday. Fire spokeswoman Kathy Bushnell said none had materialized into fires as of Tuesday afternoon, but added that lightning-caused fires can sometimes smolder for days before they grow significantly.
Three other western Montana fires — near the towns of Drummond, Condon and Ovando — have scorched a combined four square miles. Crews were reporting some containment on each fire Tuesday.
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