Butler Creek fire at 300 acres; 53 homes evacuated

(Missoula Current) A fire took root in a populated area just north of Missoula early Monday, prompting the Missoula County Sheriff's Department to issue an evacuation order to more than 50 homes.

The Butler Creek fire was first reported at 1:30 a.m. and by late afternoon, it had grown to more than 300 acres under blazing temperatures and light winds. The fire had no containment, according to fire officials.

“Firefighters are working to clear vegetation to create fuel breaks and reduce fire spread,” fire officials stated on Inciweb. “A dozer line is also being created. Three helicopters are dropping water buckets on the fire to cool the fire’s edge and reduce spread.”

The evacuation order is the second in a week related to a fire in Missoula's increasingly populated urban interface. Last week, fire officials issued an evacuation warning for the Miller Peak fire south of Missoula. That fire has since grown to more than 2,500 acres and remains active.

The sheriff's department said roughly 53 homes in the Butler Creek drainage have been evacuated. Butler Creek Road is only open to residents and all others are asked to stay out of the area.

“Butler Creek Road is only open to residents and for necessary traffic,” the sheriff's department said. “For the safety of residents and first responders, drivers are urged to combine trips and reduce their speed to eliminate conflicts with emergency traffic.

Fire officials already have expressed concern over weather predictions in the coming days. The National Weather Service on Monday warned of possible storms on Wednesday. Many may be dry but stiff winds and lightning is possible.

A Red Flag warning may be issued in the coming days.

“Wildfire activity is escalating across Montana and Idaho,” forecast officials in Missoula said. “With Wednesday's upcoming thunderstorms, combined with hot, dry and windy weather, conditions could escalate further.”

More than 57 fires across Montana were reported as active within the last 24 hours and more than 90,000 acres have burned this year. Of the 920 fires this year, 450 have been human caused while 248 remain “undetermined.”

Only 97 fires were reported as "natural causes."