UPDATE: July 12 at 6:20 a.m.
The Horse Gulch Fire has expanded to 10,849 acres as of Friday morning.
Information Officer Sarah Rouse from the Northern Rockies Coordination Center informed NonStop Local that the main goal since the beginning of this fire has been to prevent it from spreading onto private property and structures.
Over 200 firefighters are currently battling the fire using various resources, including engines and aircraft.
Fire crews have established a fire line on the west and south ends of the fire.
Rouse mentioned that better visibility will allow for aerial support on Friday.
There is concern regarding fire growth and weather conditions.
As of now, no structures have been lost in this fire.
The Horse Gulch Fire has officially burned over 7,500 acres.
UPDATE: July 11 at 5:38 p.m.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff issued an evacuation from Jimtown Road and York Road up to Vigilante Campground. Anyone in this area must evacuate as soon as possible.
UPDATE: July 11 at 5:06 p.m.
The Horse Gulch Fire has now scorched over 7,500 acres and remains zero percent contained as of Thursday afternoon, according to the DNRC Interactive Fire map.
UPDATE: July 11 at 12:50 p.m.
The Horse Gulch Fire has grown to approximately 2,000 acres and remains zero percent contained as of Thursday morning.
A statement from the Northern Rockies Incident Management attributed the fire to human causes.
Photo Gallery: Horse Gulch Fire burning near Helena reaches 7,500 acres
A significant portion of the growth occurred in the south to east on Wednesday afternoon and into early Thursday morning.
Firefighters worked through the night to construct and fortify a fire line along the south end of the fire to protect private property.
Teams are focused on preventing the fire from spreading to private land in the south and west on Thursday.
Crews with heavy equipment and various aircraft types will work on securing previously established fire lines on the southern part of the fire, north of Canyon Ferry.
On the western side of the fire, crews will create and reinforce control lines near Jim Town Road and proceed north to connect with the northwestern region of the fire.
Weather conditions anticipate temperatures in the 90s with potential erratic wind gusts and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon.
Current evacuations:
• Canyon Ferry Road – from Jim Town Road to the Broadwater County line;
• All roads north and south of Canyon Ferry Road between Jim Town Road to the Broadwater County line
Canyon Ferry Road is closed at Canyon Ferry Village to the Broadwater County line.
Current closures:
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest issued a road, trail, and area closure.
• In general, the closures are southeast of the York Gulch Road/Forest Service System Road 4136, to northwest up to and including the Avalanche Creek Road/Forest Service System Road 359, bound on the north by Magpie Mountain ridge line and bound on the south by the National Forest System lands boundary.
UPDATE: July 11 at 9:59 a.m.
Sheriff Leo Dutton of Lewis and Clark says that several roads have been blocked off due to the Horse Gulch Fire. Closures include:
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Jim Town and Canyon Ferry
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Canyon at Broadwater Line
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Canyon Ferry and Cave Gulch
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Canyon Ferry and Water Dance
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Magpie and Canyon Ferry
UPDATE: July 11 at 6:53 a.m.
The Horse Gulch Fire has now grown to about 1000 acres and remains 0% contained as of Thursday morning.
Sheriff Leo Dutton mentioned to NonStop Local that incident command is transitioning to Type 3, with the concern of potential miscommunication or missed opportunities when moving from Type 1 incident command to Type 2 or 3.
Dutton informed that LCSO evacuated the Cave Gulch area, although some individuals have chosen to stay.
“One of the challenges is those who opt to stay are not remaining in their homes and are driving around, which poses a safety risk. Those who evacuated are relying on us to protect their property,” Dutton stated.
We have the Helena City Commissioner Andy Shirtliff who helped set up the Red Cross evacuation center on the phone to talk about the ongoing support.
UPDATE: July 10 at 3:58 p.m.
The Cave Gulch area has received an evacuation notice from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff.
A pre-evacuation notice was issued for those in the Horse Gulch area at 2:45 p.m.
UPDATE: July 10 at 3:40 p.m.
Firefighting community mourns death of wildfire pilot in Horse Gulch Fire
The Horse Gulch Fire is currently burning an estimated 600 acres as of Wednesday at 3:00 PM, and the fire is still 0% contained.
At around 12:15 PM, a wildland firefighting plane crashed at the fire scene. The plane was piloted by one individual involved in controlling the fire. The pilot’s condition has not been disclosed yet.
UPDATE: July 10 at 8:54 a.m.
The Horse Gulch Fire is estimated to be burning around 200 acres as of Wednesday morning.
A Type 3 incident commander will take charge of the fire Tuesday morning.
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest stated on social media that the fire is expected to be highly active due to the forecast of hot, dry, and windy conditions.
Multiple crews, engines, and aerial equipment are working to contain the fire.
Authorities from Montana DNRC, Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, and York Volunteer Fire Department, along with Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, will provide guidance if evacuations become necessary.
People are urged to avoid the Cave Gulch and Jim Town areas at this time.
HELENA, Mont. – A wildfire is currently burning in the Horse Gulch area, south of York on Wednesday.
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest reported that the fire expanded from 10 acres to 168 acres on Tuesday night due to strong winds.
At this moment, there are no evacuation orders in effect.
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office requests that people do not call 9-1-1 for information.
Article originally published July 10, 2024 at 8:54 a.m.
