Single Publication

Start Date: July 9, 2024                                                                                                          Location: 5 miles south of York, MT

Cause: Human                                                                                                                        Size: ~2000 + acres

Containment: 0%

Northern Rockies Team 8, a Type III Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander Brad Bergman assumed command of the Horse Gulch Fire on July 11th at 6:00 a.m.

Key Message 

A combination of direct and indirect strategies are being implemented in response to the Horse Gulch Fire to keep the fire north of Canyon Ferry and east of JimTown Road in order to minimize fire impacts to private structures and land.

Current Status

The majority of fire growth occurred to the south and east yesterday afternoon and into the early morning hours. Firefighters worked through the night to construct and reinforce fire line along the south end of the fire to prevent the fire from spreading onto private land. Hand crews and heavy equipment operators successfully completed fire line from JimTown Road east out to Little Hellgate Gulch, north of Canyon Ferry.

Today, efforts will focus on limiting fire spread to the south and west to keep the fire from moving onto private lands. Firefighters, heavy equipment operators, and multiple types of aircraft will work to secure previously constructed fire line on the southern portion of the fire, north of Canyon Ferry. Crews assigned to the western side of the fire will construct and reinforce control lines near JimTown Road with efforts continuing north to tie into the northwestern point of the fire. 

Weather and Fire Behavior

Hot, dry, and windy conditions will continue today with temperatures reaching into the 90s. There is potential for erratic wind gusts along with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon.

Evacuations and Closures

Evacuations: The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office issued evacuations for the following areas:

• Canyon Ferry Road - from JimTown Road to the Broadwater County line;
• All roads north and south of Canyon Ferry Road between JimTown Road to the Broadwater County line.

Note: Canyon Ferry Rd is closed at Canyon Ferry Village to the Broadwater County line.

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.