Fire Update, August 21st at 5:00pm
Incident: Highway 87 Wildfire
Released: 8/21/2012
Progress Continues on Highway 87 Fire
Firefighters have fire line around majority of blaze
August 21, 2012, 5:00pm, Billings, Montana - Despite an active burning period this afternoon in which large areas of interior fuels burned on the Highway 87 Fire, fire managers made great progress on line construction and reinforcement.
"Some interior islands of fuel are 100 acres or more," said Derek Yeager, DNRC Fire Program Manager. Though the smoke produced prompted calls to several fire agencies, Yeager reported the fire did not grow beyond the perimeter mapped on this morning's reconnaissance flight, which mapped the blaze at 1941 acres.
Firefighters focused efforts along the northern and northwestern edges of the fire, due to the relative proximity to structures and this afternoon's predicted winds from the south, which would have pushed the fire to the north. Helicopters assisted with bucket-drops of water most of the day today; air tankers were available, but not needed.
The Highway 87 Fire remains 2-3 miles from the Briarwood subdivision and other areas. No evacuations have been issued nor are they expected due to fire activity.
While risk to homeowners is diminished the Highway 87 Fire prompted several residents to ask about Reverse 911 and how to be notified if they don't have a land line. All Yellowstone County residents are encouraged to visit the Yellowstone County website, click on Disaster & Emergency Services and "opt in" for Reverse 911 with notification to a cell phone number.
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