Deadman Fire Update

Northern Rockies Team 3, Incident Commander Mike Behrens with the Bureau of Land Management Montana-Dakotas State Office reports that landowners ranchers, local fire departments, and state and federal land agencies have worked incredibly hard the past several days fighting the Deadman, Anderson, McGhee, Prairie Dog, Hackley and Four-Mile Fires and have made significant progress. 

Crews and landowners have been building miles of fire lines and conducting burnout operations to gain ground. On the night of July 14, the McGhee Fire pushed northwest towards Birney. 

On July 15, the Flathead Interagency Hotshot Crew and other resources will be working to connect pieces of the fire line to secure that part of the fire. The prevailing wind direction today should help. 

The team is assessing needs, developing a plan, and ordering resources, although as the fire season picks up in Montana, resources will begin to be stretched. 

According to the InciWeb fire report, fuel moistures are low, making fire behavior erratic even without strong winds. Fire continues to carry in the grass and mixed shrubs, even overnight. Spotting may be an issue throughout the day, especially as winds increase. Hot and dry conditions are expected into the foreseeable future. 

An evacuation warning remains in place for residents along the Tongue River Road from the Tongue River Bridge at Wall Creek to the southern Rosebud County line. Specific closure information and maps on the Big Horn County Facebook Page and the Rosebud County Disaster And Emergency Services Page.