The Beaverhead County Sheriff’s office says there was an emergency evacuation for an additional 38 homes yesterday evening along the Pioneer Byway due to the Alder Creek Fire. The evacuations will remain in place through the weekend. The fire is now burning more than 3,400 acres in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest about 7 miles west of the Wise River. It is 0 percent contained.
The Northern Rockies Coordination Center reports 16 new fire starts in Montana on Thursday, prompting moderate initial attacks by federal, state and local firefighting resources. Fire crews controlled or contained four of those starts on Thursday, while the rest are still burning. Seventy-five percent of the fires are an acre or less in size.