'July Fire" near Zortman at 400 acres

At approximately 4:30 p.m. yesterday (July 3), Wildland Firefighters were called to what is being dubbed the "July Fire" located 1 mile southwest of Zortman in Phillips County.

According to Montana Bureau of Land Management, crews from BLM, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources, and Phillips County are responding with 11 engines, 1 water tender, 1 Jump Plane (with 8 Smoke Jumpers), 1 Lead Plane, 4 Single Engine Air Tankers and 1 Type-2 Helicopter.

As of last night at 10 p.m., the fire was at about 400 acres and burning in mixed timber on BLM-managed lands. There is no containment at this early phase of the initial attack, according to BLM.

Prior to that, some residents of the Landusky and Zortman areas were reporting on Facebook that they were packed and ready to leave should they be directed to vacate their homes. At 7 p.m. yesterday, officers from the Phillips County Sherriff's Office were turning cars away from the town of Zortman. The Phillips County Sheriff's Office has asked people in the vicinity to evacuate, but evacuations are not mandatory at this point.

The cause of the fire is under investigation though the National Weather Service in Glasgow reported that the fire was not caused by lightning. Some residents close to the fire in southwest Phillips County are under the impression that the fire was started by a lit cigarette butt or an All-Terrain Vehicle.

On Monday, June 19, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock issued an executive order declaring 19 counties in Montana, including Phillips County, are in a drought emergency (as well as the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.) As of Thursday, June 29, the Bureau of Land Management announced Stage 1 fire restrictions in Blaine, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Valley County as well as the tribal lands within the Fort Belknap Reservation, located in both Blaine and Phillips counties.

The fire is under the command of Incident Commander Josh Barta, from the Bureau of Land Management North Central Montana District. To report wildfires, call 911 or the Lewistown Interagency Dispatch Center at (406) 538-1072.

Editor's Note: This story only appears online as it was written after the newspaper was printed this week. See more on this story next week in the Phillips County News.

Update: As of 9:01 a.m., July 4, Harold Hepner (via Facebook) reports "Saddle Butte is now burning and spot fires are now burning on the south side. Won't be long before it hits the bottom land. There is like 20 mph wind on flat."

Update:As of 10:30 a.m., The Fourth of July Parade in Zortman has been canceled.