Deadman Fire Update

According to the InciWeb report as of Thursday July 18, the Deadman fire containment is at 20%, McGhee: 9%, Prairie: 50%, and Four Mile: 39%.   

Northern Rockies Team 3, Incident Commander Mike Behrens  with the Bureau of Land Management Montana-Dakotas State Office reports that firefighters conducted burnout operations on the McGhee and Deadman fires Tuesday and Wednesday on the southwest edge of the McGhee Fire and were very successful, and firefighters working cooperatively with local ranchers held the line along the Wall Creek Road.  

Aviation assets assisted firefighters with an area of fire that pushed over the line above the Lacey Gulch Road on Wednesday evening. A Hotshot crew carried on with burnout operations west along Wall Creek Road toward the Tongue River Road. On the southern part of the west side of the Deadman Fire, the smokejumper module tended the areas where the fire is backing down to the Tongue River, taking advantage of the river as a natural barrier to fire spread. The north, east and southern perimeters of the Deadman are not exhibiting active fire behavior. An Unmanned Aerial System (drone) was used overnight to assist firefighters with small burnout operations on the east side of the McGhee Fire. 

Current Status

On McGhee, helicopters will continue to work on hot areas on the west side down into the south portion as needed, supporting the crews holding the fireline near the junction of the Tongue River Road and Wall Creek Road. A Hotshot crew will burn out areas along the Tongue River Road on the southwest edge towards Battle Butte, about four miles southwest of Birney. 

On the Deadman Fire, the smokejumper module will continue to secure the southwest edge as it backs down to the Tongue River. 

On the Four Mile Fire, firefighters are cooling the remaining hot spots and patrolling the edges. The Prairie Fire is showing little heat and is being monitored. 

Weather and fire behavior

Temperatures will approach 100 degrees F today with relative humidity in the teens and a chance of thunderstorms tonight. Winds will generally be light and easterly, with gusts to 15 mph. Active fire behavior with increases in flame length, rates of spread, and spotting distances are expected. Near critical fire conditions exist across the area. Burn periods of 16 hours are being observed.  

Closures and special messages 

In Big Horn County, an evacuation warning is in place for residents from the intersection of Dale Creek Road and East Fork Canyon Road, east to the county line; from the intersection of Dale Creek Road and East Fork Canyon Road south to the intersection of Birney Road and Highway 314; from the intersection of Highway 314 and Birney Road east to the county line. In Rosebud County, an evacuation warning is in place for residents along the Tongue River Road from the Tongue River Bridge at Wall Creek to the southern Rosebud County line. 

An evacuation warning means people should be aware of and monitor the situation closely, being prepared to evacuate if needed as the status could change quickly.

Specific closure information and maps on the Big Horn County Facebook Page and the Rosebud County Disaster And Emergency Services Page.