Single Publication

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

Cause: Human, under investigation          Size: 15,033 acres          Containment: 52% 

KEY MESSAGE 

Evacuation warnings were lifted around the Horse Gulch Fire for all residents. Traffic restrictions remain in place on Jimtown Road and Black Bear Road due to heavy emergency vehicle traffic. Additionally, the fire area itself is still closed to everyone except emergency personnel. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest closure remains in place, which includes Vigilante Campground. The Bureau of Land Management Butte Field Office land closure remains in place. Drivers are urged to reduce speed around the fire area to eliminate conflicts with emergency traffic.  

CURRENT STATUS 

Yesterday to the north, fire personnel burned large pockets of fuel using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, in the Bar Gulch area to eliminate the chance of hot embers creating spot fires outside of the fire perimeter. Rollouts are a concern along Magpie Gulch, where terrain is steep. These large pieces of burning fuel can roll down hills posing a hazard to firefighters and igniting unburned fuel. Fire crews continued to seek out and extinguish residual heat along control lines on the south, west, and north portions of the fire. Crews began suppression repair along the southern flank to mitigate damage caused by firefighting activities. 

Today, crews will continue mopping up along containment lines to find and extinguish areas of residual heat. Personnel will scout, identify, and begin suppression repair on the south west portions of the fire. The structure protection group will perform property assessments along the 284 corridor to identify areas that will benefit from fuel reduction to create defensible space.  

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR 

Weather will remain in a persistent hot and dry pattern with temperatures today in the low 90’s and humidities in the high teens to low 20’s. A 20% chance of thunderstorms is forecasted in the afternoon bringing the possibility of gusty and erratic winds.  

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES 

Evacuations: Effective 7/19/24, all evacuation warnings have been lifted. 

Road Closure: Residents only access on Jimtown Road from Riverside Road to Trout Creek Road and on Black Bear Road. All other roads including Canyon Ferry Road are open, except roads within the fire perimeter. 

Forest Closure: The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest closures remain in place around the fire area. Details can be found at Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest - Home (usda.gov)  

Campground Closure: The Vigilante Campground, within the forest closure area, remains closed. As of 7/19/2024, all other campgrounds are now reopened.  

BLM Closure: The Butte Field Office has issued a closure on BLM lands near the fire area. https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/mthlf-horse-gulch-fire/signed-blm-area-closure-07-14-2024