The Shorty fire, located 9 miles southeast of Ashland, MT on the Ashland Ranger District of the Custer National Forest, was discovered at 11:34 by a Bureau of Land Management helicopter flying a recon. Two members of the helitack crew attacked the fire initially, with a Bureau of Land Management engine arriving on scene to assist at 14:31. The fire is ½ acre in size and 100% lined. The BLM resources will remain on scene overnight to continue securing the fire line and mopping-up.

The four-acre Prairie Dog fire was spotted at 13:34 by the Bureau of Land Management lookout. The fire is located on private land, 11 miles west of Birney, MT. Two BLM engines are on scene, securing line and mopping-up. Resources will remain on the fire throughout the night.

A local landowner reported the Little Dirty fire at 15:40 on July 19. A Bureau of Land Management engine arrived at the fire to begin suppression activities on the 5-acre fire at 16:57. The BLM helicopter and two additional BLM engines also responded to aide in the suppression efforts. All three BLM engines will remain on the fire overnight.

The Candle fire, on the Sioux Ranger District of the Custer National Forest, was controlled at 14:30 today. All resources from this fire have returned to their home locations. For more information, please contact Mark Jacobson at 406-233-2831, Eric Lepisto at 406-233-2903, or Gloria Gunther at 406-233-2905.

The Rye Grass fire was reported at 1323 July 18th. This lightning caused 16 acre fire was in Carbon County in the Joliet Fire District. Resources responding included Columbus VFD, Roberts VFD, Edgar VFD, USFS Beartooth RD, and Joliet VFD for total 11 type 6 engines and 3 Water Tenders. Resource remained on scene until 1800 and the fire will be in patrol status with Joliet VFD tomorrow.

A request for mutual aid for the 25 acre Blue Sky Fire east of Lockwood came into Billing Dispatch @ 1530 July 18th. DNRC requested a Type II Helicopter from Helena to respond and 2 Type VI engines from the Southern Lands Office provided immediate resources The BLM Billings Fire Operations responded 2 additional Type VI engines. At this time no information on cause or additional resources on scene was reported by the requesting agency. The fire was staffed by DNRC resources through the night. BLM resources will staff the incident in the AM and be available for Initial Attack if needed. For more information contact Larry Elder: 406-896-2941 or Billings Dispatch at 406-896-2900.

LIGHTNING FIRE IN HORSE PRAIRIE DILLON, MT—Lightning touched off Southwest Montana’s first significant wildfire of the season on Friday (June 20) in Horse Prairie, about 35 miles southwest of Dillon.The fire burned 36 acres of grass and sagebrush on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management near the Mansfield Cow Camp. Twenty-one firefighters from the Forest Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the volunteer fire departments in Dillon, Lima, and Grant responded to the blaze. The fire was declared “controlled” on Saturday afternoon (June 21). The firefighters used three engines and dug fire lines to stop the fire. The average fire danger across Southwest Montana is still “moderate.” Officials use a five-step scale to describe how readily fires will spread. The five fire-danger ratings are low, moderate, high, very high, and extreme. The rating is based on wind, temperatures, and moisture in grasses, shrubs and trees. For more information contact Jack DeGolia at Office: (406) 683-3984 or Cell Phone: (406) 660-2347.