Hilger Valley Fire near Helena mostly contained, human caused
A fire near Helena is now 77% contained and was found to be human caused, according to a state press release this week.
Crews completed a line around the Hilger Valley fire on Thursday and were looking for hot spots. Helicopters were used throughout the week to make water drops on the fire, getting their water from nearby Upper Colter Lake.
The fire was initially spotted on Monday and quickly grew through the afternoon before crews were able to get a handle on it. The blaze was listed at 295 acres as of Friday morning. At its peak, nearly 200 personnel were assigned to work the fire.
The Hilger Valley Fire is 20 miles north of Helena, east of Interstate 15 near the Gates of the Mountains exit. The fire cost around $1.5 million to fight and threatened communication infrastructure, according to the National Interagency Fire Center's daily fire report. It's expected to be contained by June 20, the report added. The DNRC County Assist Team gave control back to Helena DNRC on Thursday, which will monitor the fire during the coming days.
Several early fires, including one near Wisdom and another near Plains have burned several thousand acres in Montana already this year. Fire officials have said the May and June wildfire starts are early and crews are expecting a long fire season.
Canadian fires, bringing smoke, have already burned more than 7 million acres this year.
'It's June, and rising heat and low humidity are drying out grasses, brush, and trees—making them easier to ignite and faster to burn,' the state press release said. 'Stay alert and visit MTFireInfo.org to learn how to prevent wildfires. One spark is all it takes.'
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