EBS STAFF
Final update, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m.: The Horn Fire is 50% contained and remains 2,800 acres in size, during mostly dry grass and brush. Crews currently on scene include two, Type 2 crews, 10 engines, a water tender, bulldozer and Type 2 helicopter. All residents will be allowed back to their homes.
Updated Aug. 14 at noon: The Horn Fire is 20% contained and 2,800 acres in size. Montana Highway 87 is open to traffic, while Horn Creek Road, Cliff Lake Road and Wade Lake Road remain closed. The evacuation level has been downgraded back to a warning. Crews on the scene include Type 2 crews, 10 engines, a water tender and bulldozer, as well as two Type 2 helicopters, according to InciWeb.
Updated Aug. 14 at 5:00 p.m.: The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has upgraded their evacuation warning to an emergency evacuation order for all residents east of Montana Highway 87 and south of U.S. Highway 287. Law enforcement will be making contact door to door and residents are asked to leave immediately.
On Wednesday, Aug. 13, at around 2:15 p.m., the Madison Valley Rural Fire Department responded to a wildland fire near U.S. Highway 287 and Montana Highway 87. At the time, the Horn Fire was around 40 acres, but has since grown rapidly due to wind and dry weather. It is estimated to be 2,000 acres in size and is 0% contained as of Aug. 14, according to an update from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The fire was lightning-caused.
“The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating evacuations in the area as a safety precaution due to the unpredictable fire behavior,” stated an update from the fire department. “We ask residents to stay alert, follow all evacuation orders, and avoid the area so emergency crews can work safely and effectively.”
According to a post by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, residents on both sides of Highway 87 in the far southern end of Madison County and those at Madison River Ranch are under an evacuation warning.
Multiple agencies were initially requested for mutual aid, including Hebgen Basin Fire Department, Virginia City Fire Department, Whitehall Fire Department, Big Sky Fire Department,the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Madison County Department of Emergency Services, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Valley Ambulance Service, and several others. As of the morning of Aug. 14, engines from both the DNRC Forest Service, as well as two helicopters and air attack crews remain on scene.
