A wildfire northeast of Helena that officials said was caused by people had burned about 200 acres as of Wednesday morning, officials said.
The Horse Gulch fire was reported at 1:32 p.m. Tuesday, according to mtfireinfo.com.
The Horse Gulch fire south of York has been burning since Tuesday afternoon.
It was five miles south of York and two miles north of Canyon Ferry, InciWeb reported. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the fire had grown to 200 acres.
There was no containment listed Wednesday. Officials said the fire was “human-caused.” No further information was provided.
“Fire behavior is active and is in dense timber with heavy dead and down fuels,” the U.S. Forest Service said on Facebook. “A Type III team has been ordered and plans to take command tomorrow. Please avoid the Cave Gulch area.”
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Officials said they are putting resources on west and southern flank “where we have values at risk.”
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest said earlier on Facebook the fire has been active due to winds. They said they have engines and a helicopter on scene.
The York Volunteer Fire Department posted on Facebook it is working the fire, adding “This is the first sizable fire of the season.”
Officials asked people to avoid Jimtown Road and Cave Gulch.
This Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department said on Facebook early Wednesday that they were working with the forest service and sheriff’s department. They said the fire is burning on forest service land and winds had “shifted multiple times,” making containment difficult.
“We encourage everyone to consider signing up for e911 alerts, which is the fastest way to get notifications of hazards and emergency events near your home,” they wrote.
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday that there have been no evacuations, but that area residents should prepare to evacuate should conditions change. They asked people to not call 911 for information.
There are now 22 active fires in Montana, with 636 reported so far this year, mtfireinfo.com said on its website.
The National Weather Service said earlier this week to expect more fires as the higher temperatures that hit the area in the past couple days will accelerate the seasonal drying of fuel such as grass and other vegetation.
Another fire was reported late Tuesday southwest of Helena.
The Ten Mile fire was discovered at 11:56 p.m. and reported at 7:31 a.m. Wednesday to have burned two acres.
No further information was immediately available.
Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.
