Short Draw Fire is 40% contained

GILLETTE (WNE) — Fire crews have made a lot of progress on the Short Draw Fire in northern Campbell County.

On-the-ground and aerial mapping conducted over the weekend has put the wildfire’s size at 35,222 acres, much of it in Montana, and as of Monday morning it was 40% contained.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is overseeing the fire, which started Wednesday afternoon and grew very quickly due to strong winds and dry conditions.

More than 230 people are working on the fire, and all evacuation warnings and notices associated with the fire area have been rescinded.

Over the weekend, fire crews conducted a burnout operation on the northwest side of the fire to connect and reduce an unburned pocket of vegetation, and hand crews, engine teams, and dozers have established control lines along the southeast and western perimeters, according to a press release.

There are many green unburned pockets within the fire, and over the next few days, firefighters expect these isolated fuel pockets to burn due to changing winds.

For information on post-fire relief, please visit uwyo.edu/barnbackyard/resources/wildfire.html.

To the south of Campbell County, firefighters are working on a 3,300-acre wildfire.

The La Bonte Fire started Thursday and is burning in steep, rugged terrain on BLM and private lands more than 20 miles south of Douglas, according to a press release.

This fire was 11% contained as of Monday morning.

This story was published on September 17, 2024.