HELENA — UPDATE, Sunday, 11 a.m.: The Horse Gulch Fire has grown another 1,000 acres, reaching almost 12,800 as of Sunday morning.
In a daily update, the incident management team in charge of the fire said gusty winds Saturday afternoon led to high fire activity in ridges on the north side. Crews continued building lines along the western edge of the fire. They're also focusing on structure protection in nearby communities.
Authorities said they're expecting additional ground resources to arrive Sunday, and they'll join the fire line and structure protection work.
Leaders are preparing for another Red Flag Warning from noon to midnight Sunday, with high temperatures and winds expected.
Firefighters on the Horse Gulch Fire northeast of Helena expect challenging fire weather Saturday afternoon and evening.
According to the fire information site Inciweb, the fire is just over 11,600 acres, and 0% contained Saturday morning.
At a public meeting Friday night, current fire managers announced that the Type 3 team in charge of the of the fire will be transitioning to the larger Northern Rockies Team 2, a complex incident management (CIMT).
Firefighters will continue to focus their efforts on keeping the fire east of Jimtown Rd and north of Canyon Ferry.
Evacuations and closures remain in place for the following areas:
- York Rd. up to Vigilante Campground
- Cave Gulch to Magpie Gulch on both sides of Canyon Ferry Rd
- Riverside Campground
- Hellgate Campground
- Canyon Ferry Rd between Canyon Ferry Village and Hellgate Gulch
People needing to reach their property for life sustaining items must be escorted.
Escorts will happen on a first come, first serve basis Saturday morning and will end at 10:00 a.m. Escorts are limited to 15 minutes.
Officials reiterated at the Friday night meeting that, to date, no structures had been lost.
The Horse Gulch fire started on the afternoon of July 9 on U.S. Forest Service land. Forest Service law enforcement investigators are looking for information, including pictures, that may show vehicles that were in the area that day or the fire just after it started.
Send tips to: SM.FS.HLC_Tip_Line@usda.gov.
One person died while fighting the fighting the fire. Juliana Turchetti, 45, died when her single-engine air tanker crashed into Hauser Lake.
The NTSB is investigating. An initial report is expected to be released within the next two weeks. The final report is expected to take about 18 months to complete.
At Friday's meeting, Sheriff Leo Dutton asked boaters on the lakes to be aware of firefighting planes and helicopters and stay out of their way.
How you can help: The Horse Gulch Fire
The Helena Area Community Foundation and the TriCounty COAD have set up a relief fund to help people impacted by the Horse Gulch Fire.
As of Saturday morning, the organizations are specifically requesting monetary donations. Organizers of the fund say money allows support groups to purchase exactly what they need and eliminates stockpiles of items that are unusable or may become outdated.
According to the HACF, donations will be used for:
- Emergency shelter and food for displaced families
- Medical supplies
- Equipment and supplies for firefighters
- Restoration and rebuilding efforts (if necessary)
Donations can be made online at HelenaAreaCommunityFoundation.org or dropped off at 901 N. Benton in Helena.
People donating by check should note "fire" in the memo line.
People who have been evacuated and need assistance can contact the Red Cross.
A shelter has been set up at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church, 3580 N. Benton St. in Helena.
