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Big Hollow Fire

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Unit Information

1539 Eleventh Ave. 
Helena, 
59601 
1539 Eleventh Ave. 
Helena, 
59601 

Incident Contacts

  • Helen Duran
    Email:
    helen.duran@mt.gov
    Phone:
    406-272-2750

Big Hollow Fire Update 08-29-2024

Big Hollow Fire
Publication Type: News - 08/29/2024 - 09:51

Location: 13 miles west of Grant, MT      Start Date: August 23, 2024

Cause: Undetermined                       Size: 3435 acres             Containment: 80%

CURRENT STATUS + PLANNED ACTIONS:

Fire activity has been low, and the overall fire footprint has not grown since Sunday August, 25, however the increase in acreage yesterday was due to the section that firefighters intentionally ignited to clean up debris and create a secure line of burned area that acts as a control feature. 

After evaluating control lines around the perimeter of the fire, fire managers felt comfortable increasing containment to 80%. Containment is a measure of confidence that control lines or features won’t allow for fire growth even in the event of high winds or other adverse weather. To call a section of the fire contained means that the majority of the heat in that area is cold out. 

Today, crews will continue to locate and extinguish heat throughout the fire’s edge but will concentrate on the northwest corner where the burnout happened yesterday, and there are still pockets of residual heat smoldering in woody debris tangled on the forest floor. Objectives are to work towards having all heat and smokes put out within 200 ft of control lines/features. Some crews will be assigned with carefully combing through the unburned side of the line to locate and extinguish any spot fires that may have been missed. 

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR:

Conditions are forecasted to be hotter and drier today with less wind than yesterday. The hotter temperatures and lower relative humidities could allow for increased fire activity in patches of burning timber in the far interior of the fire that don’t pose a risk to control lines. An increase in smoke above these areas will occur with the increase in fire activity. 

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES

There are currently no evacuations or closures in place. Fire managers are asking that the public avoids the immediate fire area for both public and firefighter safety.

To learn more about wildfire in Montana and how you can better prepare you, your family, and your home, visit MTFIREINFO.ORG