Bridger Foothills Fire: Sunday Afternoon Update

Emergency fire officials, local law enforcement, and county government officials conducted an informational briefing at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday to issue an update on the Bridger Foothills Fire. Currently, the fire remains at 0% containment, and fire resources are split into two teams in building defensive lines and structure protection.

Some structures are lost, and individual home information will not be known until Monday, at the earliest, as Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin says we are "still very much in reactionary mode with this fire."

Fire Managers indicated that the fire’s most active flanks are on the Northwest and Southeast side and are concerned about upcoming winds associated with the cold front coming in, and with the change in fronts comes the potential for high winds. Rain and some snow is in the forecast for Monday with highs in the 50’s.

Bridger Canyon Road remains closed and evacuations took place on Saturday for Bridger Canyon residents. Fleshman Creek, Moffit Gulch, and Quinn Creek are all under evacuation warnings.

Area of the Fire - Bridger Foothills Big OPS Topo Map

Here is some more fire information from today's virtual fire meeting attended by fire officials, Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin, Gallain County County Commissioner Don Seifert, and the Gallatin County Health Deptarment, and more.

• There have been no deaths associated with this fire, to this point. Three DNRC (Department of Natural Resources & Conservation) firefighters were forced to deploy their fire shelters as the fire burned through their location. After the fire had passed, the three firefighters were able to safely walk out of the fire area and were transported to Bozeman Health for further medical evaluation.

• Sheriff Gootkin says that he hopes to have more info on Monday as to when residents will be let back onto their properties.

• Fire officials are calling this a 'full suppression fire.' The goal is to put it out entirely. Ranger Lewellen said about the fire, "It is not going away any time soon." Although rain is predicted for Monday in the Bridgers, and maybe even some snow, drier conditions are forecast for the end of this week.

• Park County is not in jeopardy at this point. The fire is still a few miles from the Park County line, but some models do show a possibility of the fire spreading towards Livingston, depending on the weather conditions.

• State & federal helicopters are being used on the fire, as are large air tankers, single-engine air tankers, and heavy equipment to put in containment lines.

• The fire remains miles from Bridger Bowl.

• The Gallatin County Fairgrounds are available for those that need places for their horses. The county has also issued a 72-hour fire ban.

• For questions regarding the fire and if you need resources, please call 211. Please only use 911 if you are directly affected by the fire.

• If you have been displaced and you need some help, you can contact the America Red Cross at 800.272.6668.

• Money: Bridger Foothills Fire Relief Fund, text BRIDGERS to  91999 or give online at https://www.greatergallatinunitedway.org/ or https://www.onevalley.org/
• Time: https://www.volunteermt.org/need/detail/?need_id=539441 or go to VolunteerMT.org and click on Bridger Foothills Fire Volunteer Response.
• Water, sports drinks, and non-perishable food: Salvation Army, 32 South Rouse Ave. Bozeman, MT. 1:00- 5:00pm today and tomorrow.
• Meals for first responders or evacuees: Salvation Army 586-5813
• Housing for evacuees: American Red Cross, 1 800 272 6668
• Pet food or supplies: Heart of the Valley
• Anything else, including moving stock: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bridgerfoothillsfire

If you have questions, please call the Help Center at 211 or 406-586-3333

Jeff Krogstad contributed to this story.