The most active of three wildfires burning in southeast Montana’s Yellowstone and Musselshell counties doubled in size over the weekend.
A Monday morning post to Inciweb reports the Peterson fire now spans roughly 4,400 acres following the weekend’s dry, windy weather and 90-degree temperatures. Fire crews are working on securing the southeast side of the Peterson fire and crews are working on the ground while aircraft assist.
Inciweb says the Peterson fire was 0 percent contained as of Monday afternoon, while the two other fires in the MY Complex were each roughly 50 percent contained.
An evacuation notice is still in effect for Queens Point Road in Musselshell County, but the county lifted evacuation notices for Harvey Road, Melstone-Custer Road and Alkali Creek Road Monday.
According to an Inciweb update, the three fires in the MY Complex were lightning-caused and have burned nearly 28,000 acres total.
The Northern Rockies Coordination Center says lightning has sparked 21 percent of wildfires in Montana this year.
Missoula County Fire Danger Moves To 'Extreme'
Missoula County Monday afternoon moved its fire danger to 'Extreme', effective immediately. According to a release from the Missoula County Fire Protection Agency, 'Extreme' fire danger means:
... fires start quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious and direct attack is rarely possible. The tri-county area including Missoula, Mineral, and Ravalli counties has already experienced 227 wildland fires since the beginning of the year, with 75% of those being human caused (which is 100% preventable!). Approximately 45 of those wildfires started this past week. Limited resource availability due to numerous fires throughout the region compounds the complex fire situation, creating intense competition and prioritization for resources—specifically crews, aircraft, and incident management teams.
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While implementing area fire restrictions is being discussed, there are currently no fire restrictions in place in the Missoula area aside from the fact that outdoor burning by permit remains closed in Missoula County as well as in our surrounding counties. Residents and visitors are urged to visit www.MTFireInfo.orgto learn of fire restrictions that are in place throughout Montana.
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