The Lump Gulch Fire is now considered 50 percent contained, with cool, moist weather continuing through today.
The wildfire burning through about 1,073 acres west of Clancy is likely to have started from a downed power line, according to Jefferson County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Doug Dodge.
The fire was first reported Saturday, west of Sheep Mountain. Firefighters continue to build and reinforce containment lines to control the spread of the blaze, according to the to the Central Montana Type III Incident Management Team.
The fire, originally estimated at 1,500 acres, was downgraded in size due to the increased ability to assess its boundaries, according to Duane Buchi, public information officer with the Type III Management Team.
Crews will mop up and manage any hot spots inside the fire perimeter and work to achieve 100% containment near structures.
Currently there is 131 personnel working the fire, with four engines, two Type 1 hand crews, two Type 2 initial attack crews, one 10-person module, 1 helicopter and one feller buncher, according to the Type III Management Team.
Residents who were evacuated Saturday were told they could return home Sunday, and since then, all pre-evacuation orders have been lifted.
So far, two outbuildings have been lost to the wildfire that is burning on a combination of forest service, state and private land.
Residents in the area are advised that smoke will persist as the fire is considered a long-term event due to the severely steep and rocky terrain, which is inaccessible to firefighters, according to Kristin Sleeper, public information officer for the Central Montana Type III Incident Management Team.
Saturday’s high winds contributed to the fire’s spread, said Sleeper.
Winds that day were clocked at up to 41 mph, with gusts up to 59 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Dodge said the area contains a heavy amount of downed and dead trees providing an ongoing source of fuel for the fire.
With winds like those experienced on Saturday, an old burn pile can easily reignite, said Dodge.
The rain is helpful, but it takes a good deal of moisture to extinguish a fire with that amount of fuel, he said.
Jefferson County also received around 14 calls about fires on Saturday, with about half of those being actual blazes, said Dodge.
The Montana City and Clancy volunteer firefighters initially responded to the scene, along with Tri-Lakes, Rast Valley and Eastgate volunteer fire departments, Eagle Ambulance, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Land Office, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Jefferson County Disaster and Emergency Services and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
