FORT BELKNAP, Mont. (NMB) – The Pine Grove Fire on the southern end of the Fort Belknap Reservation remained at 17,325 acres with 19 percent containment as of early Friday afternoon.
The number of structures known to have been destroyed is now at 11. One is the residence where the blaze originated, while the other 10 are believed to be secondary structures. Structure loss assessments are ongoing.
The communities of Zortman, Landusky, Pine Grove, Starhill and Lodgepole remain under evacuation warnings. This means residents may return to their homes but are requested to be in a Ready State to evacuate if fire conditions deteriorate.
A type three incident management team from the DNRC took command of the incident on Thursday morning.
On Friday, firefighters were continuing to take advantage of the weather to shore up the mechanical line and dig a hand line. Two hot shot and three 20-person hand crews are joining the effort to focus on the east and southern flanks of the fire.
Cool and overcast weather is forecast through the weekend, which should aid firefighting efforts.
An estimated containment date is Thursday, August 26th.
The fire is believed to be human caused, but that remains under investigation.
The Mission Canyon, White Cow Canyon, and Coming Day roads, as well as the roads going to the Camp Creek Campground and the Wiccum Cabin remain closed.
168 personnel are on the scene of the fire.
Crews are also working with Fort Belknap Cultural Representatives in fire tactics regarding culturally important sites.
On Tuesday morning, the Fort Belknap Council voted to declare a State of Emergency for the Hays-Lodgepole area due to the fire until further notice. This allows incident command to “take immediate actions to protect public safety and direct the provision of such assistance as can be delivered from available local resources and shall coordinate response of all local agencies that provide assistance on the Fort Belknap Reservation.”
All non-emergency personnel are advised to stay away from the area of the Pine Grove Fire.
The Red Cross shelter in Malta has been closed, and the shelter in Hays was being demobilized on Thursday afternoon. However, the Red Cross has an emergency response team that is ready to assist if needed.
