Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres

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Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres Sept 6, 2020 5:26:29 GMT -7

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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2020 5:26:29 GMT -7

Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres as of Saturday night

The Bridger Fire exploded on Saturday afternoon to 11,000 acres or over 17 square miles. The fire jumped Bridger Canyon Road, Route 86, and headed east and north. The fire has not yet reached Brackett Creek which drains the Bridgers to the west to Clyde Park. Skunk Creek runs off of Brackett Creek and is south of it. Residents there and along Brackett Creek are urged to voluntarily evacuate. Further south residents of Jackson Creek to I-90 are under evacuation orders. Jackson Creek flows across the Park County line and then goes under I-90 west of Bozeman Pass. The Park County border with Gallitan County is at Bozeman Pass on I-90.

There are many,many roads, houses and people that have been affected by the fire. One news story estimated over 250 homes were at risk. Bridger Canyon Road was lined with homes and businesses. Many more homes were spread out on secondary roads north of I-90 and east of Bozeman. The fire is zero percent contained. Sunday and Monday morning appear to be two more difficult days for the victims and firefighters. Rain is anticipated on Monday afternoon. A Red Flag warning from the National Weather Service is in effect until midnight on Sunday.

KBZK reports:

"Marna Daley with the Custer Gallatin National Forest tells MTN News the Bridger Foothills Fire grew to an estimated 11,000 acres Saturday in a day of "unprecedented" fire activity.

The fire remains zero percent contained.

With 120 personnel working the fire, air support was called off because of extreme wind and zero visibility Saturday afternoon.

Three firefighters were forced to deploy fire shelters before crews got them out and transported to Bozeman Health. They are reportedly in good condition as of Saturday night.

One hotshot crew member was struck in the chest by a rolling rock and was treated and released from the hospital.

Several structures have been affected by fire, but officials are currently unable to get an exact number due to extreme conditions in the area.

Evacuations are in effect for Kelly Canyon, Jackson Creek, and all of Bridger Canyon. Brackett Creek-area residents are urged to voluntarily evacuate.

Skunk Creek Road is now under an evacuation warning.

People who have not been evacuated are urged to voluntarily leave the area until it is safe to return.

According to Inciweb, "A Type I Incident Management Team is ordered and will be inbriefing at 10:00 Monday, September 7, 2020.

The update said firefighters were forced to pull off the fire to focus on structure protection for much of Saturday afternoon due to safety and fire behavior.

The cause of the Bridger Foothills Fire is unknown at this time and remains under investigation."

Last Edit: Sept 6, 2020 5:31:09 GMT -7 by Admin

The Administrator, Tim Brockett, is also a Director on the Glastonbury Landowners Association Board. The opinions expressed on the Forum are his own and may or may not coincide with the views of the GLA Board.

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Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres Sept 6, 2020 5:33:15 GMT -7

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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2020 5:33:15 GMT -7

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT Sunday September 6th, 2020...

* IMPACTS: Low humidities, strong gusty winds, and wind shift
with a cold front will create erratic fire behavior and new
fire starts.

* AFFECTED AREA:
In North Central WY Fire Zones...274...284.
In South Central MT Fire Zones...123...124...125...126...127
128...129.
In Southeast MT Fire Zones...130...131...132.
In Southeast MT and Northwest SD Fire Zone...133.

* COUNTIES AFFECTED:
In Central MT...Golden Valley...Musselshell...Wheatland.
In North Central WY...Big Horn...Johnson...Sheridan...Washakie.
In Northwest SD...Harding.
In South Central MT...Big Horn...Carbon...Park...Stillwater
Sweet Grass...Yellowstone.
In Southeast MT...Carter...Custer...Fallon...Powder River
Rosebud...Treasure.
In Southwest MT...Gallatin.

* COLD FRONT: A strong cold front will move through the district
late this afternoon into this evening.

* WIND: Northerly 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph with frontal
passage.

* HUMIDITY: Upper teens to mid 20s with the lowest along the
foothills.

* TEMPERATURES: 80s.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are
either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong
winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute
to extreme fire behavior.

The Administrator, Tim Brockett, is also a Director on the Glastonbury Landowners Association Board. The opinions expressed on the Forum are his own and may or may not coincide with the views of the GLA Board.

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Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres Sept 6, 2020 8:20:01 GMT -7

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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2020 8:20:01 GMT -7

Bridger Foothills Fire now estimated at 7,000 acres, down from 11K Saturday night

Somehow the size of the Bridger fire shrunk from 11,000 to 7,000 acres overnight according to the InciWeb government website. The fire went from over 17 square miles to less than 11 square miles; a 40% reduction in size. The site goes on to explain that residents of Brackett Creek and Skunk Creek will be issued Evacuation Warnings on Sunday. Residents in Bridger Canyon, Jackson Creek, and Kelly Canyon were given Evacuation Orders previously. Everyone is asked to stay away until government officials declare the area "safe". People are urged to NOT call 911 unless they are "directly impacted" by the fire. Translated does this mean: If your neighbor's home is burning, do not call. If your house is burning, it is okay to call?

KBZK reports:

"According to an Inciweb update, the Bridger Foothills Fire is now estimated to be 7,000 acres, down from the reported 11,000 acres Saturday night.

The Saturday evening update for the fire said "An infrared aviation flight mapping the fire perimeter will occur overnight."

Sunday morning, the fire's information page was updated and said, "An infrared flight was flown Saturday night to determine acres and a more accurate fire perimeter, with the rapid growth that occurred throughout the day Saturday."

Residents have been evacuated from Bridger Canyon, Kelly Canyon, and Jackson Creek, with further evacuation notifications expected Sunday.

All roads and trails in the Bridgers and Bangtails are now closed."

Last Edit: Sept 6, 2020 8:30:49 GMT -7 by Admin

The Administrator, Tim Brockett, is also a Director on the Glastonbury Landowners Association Board. The opinions expressed on the Forum are his own and may or may not coincide with the views of the GLA Board.

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Bridger Foothills Fire estimated at 11,000 acres Sept 6, 2020 11:24:32 GMT -7

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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2020 11:24:32 GMT -7

When the fire started on Friday....

The Bridger fire started on Friday, September 4th, 2020. By Saturday morning the size of the blaze increased to 400 acres. KBZK spoke with local landowners and fire officials. People seemed confident the fire was under control. They only worried about the scar it would leave behind. No one thought they would lose their home and everything in it. As of Sunday morning the fire has burned thousands of acres and "structures have been lost". Precise information is very difficult to get and more landowners are being told to evacuate.

The article from KBZK follows:

"It was a hot and dry Friday, the perfect ingredients for a fire, which is exactly what broke out just northeast of Bozeman, above the 'M' trail in the Bridger Mountains.

As of Saturday morning, 400 acres have burned just two and a half miles up from the M parking lot.

“This is something I’ve never seen before. I’ve lived in Bozeman since 1967, and I’ve never seen the Bridgers on fire like this,” said on-looker Brian Phillips.

“Brenda called and said this is not good. Look out the window and there it was,” said neighboring resident Laurie Weisner.

Not good was right. Around 3 p.m. Friday, multiple fire crews around Bozeman started receiving reports of heavy smoke just north of the popular M trail.

“Units got on it pretty quickly. The Sheriff’s Office, we got around to it on the east side to make sure we’re able to notify residents on that side. Let them know that there was a fire on the west side,” explained Undersheriff Dan Springer with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Department.

Resources fighting the fire include 2 air tankers, 2 helicopters, 1 engine, multiple smoke jumpers and multiple personnel on deck.

“Laid a really nice line right above the M. You can see where they’ve got a place where the fire should stop. But I'm expecting another round, and they’re really doing an amazing job of putting this fire out. It’s definitely a full-court press,” Phillips said.

There are neighboring houses in the area, but no evacuations have been ordered so far.

“We have not done any evacuations. At this point, it’s just notifying that there is activity on this side,” Springer said.

We talked to some of those neighbors, who are ready should they need to leave.

“It has a long way to go but if the wind changes direction, it could be scary,” said Weisner.

“So sad, just absolutely tragic. It’s just absolutely tragic. This is a huge scar that we’ll be looking at for many years,” Phillips expressed.

Sources from county law enforcement tell MTN News that there have not been any injuries and all hikers were able to safely be removed from the trail.

There has been no word yet on the start of the fire and as of now, it is zero percent contained.

The Administrator, Tim Brockett, is also a Director on the Glastonbury Landowners Association Board. The opinions expressed on the Forum are his own and may or may not coincide with the views of the GLA Board.