Short Draw Fire 74% contained; local firefighters battle new fire near Johnson County line

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Short Draw Fire is now 74% contained, and fire crews hope to have the fire 100% contained by the end of Friday.

And the Campbell County Fire Department is working on a new fire that started Tuesday afternoon in the west part of the county.

The Livingston Draw Fire, first reported at 4:54 p.m. near the Campbell County-Johnson County line south of Fortification Road, has burned between 500 and 1,000 acres. Resources from Campbell, Johnson and Sheridan counties are on the scene, along with Campbell County Road and Bridge and the Bureau of Land Management.

The Short Draw Fire fire, which has burned 34,573 acres in northern Campbell County and southern Montana, started last Wednesday.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is overseeing the fire. Tuesday, firefighters patrolled and monitored the fire to ensure any remaining hot spots near the control lines were fully extinguished, according to a press release.

Crews continue to focus on mop-up work, putting out embers, cooling down ash pits and eliminating heat sources that could reignite under changing weather conditions.

Firefighters are also working to extend the control lines by 200 feet into the fire perimeter to further secure the area. 

Meanwhile, heavy equipment, including excavators, dozers and road graders, have begun repairing and rehabilitating previously constructed dozer contingency lines throughout the fire area.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

This story was published on September 19, 2024.