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Fire 50 percent contained, Landusky residents return
An airplane drops fire retardant over trees Sunday near the July Fire in the Little Rocky Mountains.
Burnt trees stand in scorched earth on a hill south of Landusky, mirroring a burnt area to the north of town. FIre encroached on Landusky from both sides during the July Fire, leading to evacuation of the town, but residents were able to return Sunday after winds changed direction and firefighters battled back the fire. Public Information Officer Geremy Olson said that the town was saved by the huge effort of the residents preparing for the fire that without their hard work the town may not have survived.
Smoke billows from the July Fire in the Little Rocky Mountains Sunday. With a change in wind direction, the July Fire back-tracked over an already burned area between the towns of Landusky and Zortman, finding some new fuel in a bowl deep inside the Little Rockies. The change in wind gave crews a chance to construct fire breaks with the main firefighting going to air power. Using mining roads, crews widened the road and cut back brush, grass and trees hoping to contain the fire.
With the people of Landusky having been allowed back in town Sunday, the 10,000 acre-Little Rockies fire that started July 3 may threaten the towns of Hays and Lodge Pole with evacuation next.
Type-2 Incident Management Team Fire Information Officer Hailey Graf said today's forecast thunderstorms may bring lightning and unpredictable erratic winds that may mean trouble for Hays and Lodge Pole. Residents have already been prepared, she added, in case evacuation is necessary.
"But at this time, we aren't expecting those communities to be evacuated, unless there is extreme behavior," Graf said.
Today's weather may be a double-edge sword, she said, adding the cloud coverage and humidity it may bring would be beneficial - it won't be a drencher - but the winds might outweigh any benefits.
Although the fire has grown from 1,700 acres Wednesday to 10,500 acres today, it is 50 percent contained, Graf said, the gauge for containment being that it's being restricted faster than it's growing.
The federal firefighting crew Type-2 Incident Management Team is leading the fight against the blaze with the help of several local entities that have been there since the beginning. Crews from the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Phillips County and a number of volunteer fire departments had all responded on the scene July 3.
A heavy air tanker, multiple single engine air tankers, four helicopters, 10 engines, two water tenders and three bulldozers responded. The Type-2 Team came on the scene Thursday morning at 6 a.m. and has taken the lead, Russell said.
A press release says crews were busy today continuing to advance fire line construction on the northern fire boundary, improving existing fire lines, and working to improve contingency lines.
"Hays, Landusky, Zortman, and Lodgepole communities are being monitored for increased fire activity due to recent weather changes and possible erratic winds. Night operations will patrol the areas around Zortman and Landusky looking for hot spots along existing lines, extinguishing hot areas as appropriate, as well as continued structure protection among the communities," the release says.
Aside from a blister that caused an infection, Graf said, no one has been injured.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, she said. The fire is hot and active near the original ignition point and therefore difficult to investigate.
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