The Sheep Creek wildfire burning southeast of Basin in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest grew to 316 acres by Saturday morning. The fire, first located on Sept. 22, is located in a rugged mountain area and has been fueled by downed beetle-kill timber and strong gusty winds. A Red Flag Warning was in effect until early Saturday morning, with the winds blowing drift smoke into the Boulder Valley most of the day on Friday.
Fire managers have identified critical values to protect, and have enlisted the help of local volunteer fire departments for structure protection. “Volunteer fire departments from Basin, Boulder/Bull Mountain, Jefferson City, and Clancy, in addition to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, will be working with Beaverhead-Deerlodge firefighting resources to prepare and protect values at risk,” county DES Coordinator Doug Dodge reported in a release.
Fire managers have expressed concern that weather conditions — particularly the wind — pose a threat the fire may reach the interstate. Fire behavior analysts estimate a five to twenty percent chance the fire will reach Interstate 15 within the next ten days, according to Dodge. Local roads in the area have been closed to assist firefighting efforts.
