Beaverhead County, Montana · Wildfire
| Metric | Last report | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size |
9,680 acres Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
9,791 acres
Aug 17, 9:00 AM
+111 acres
was 9,680 acres · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+111 acres
in 1 day
|
| Containment |
6% Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
10%
Aug 17, 9:00 AM
+4 percent
was 6% · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+4 percent
in 1 day
|
| Crew size |
344 Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
330
Aug 17, 9:00 AM
−14
was 344 · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
−14
in 1 day
|
| Money spent |
$6.1M Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
$6.9M
Aug 17, 9:00 AM
+$801,459
was $6.1M · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+$801,459
in 1 day
|
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The Bobcat Lakes Fire is a wildfire near Beaverhead County, Montana. It has burned about 9,791 acres (about 7,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 10% of its edge; the other 90% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 2 weeks ago. About 330 people are on it, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. We're also tracking 5 other active fires within about 75 miles.
The size and containment above are current as of Monday, August 17th at 9:00 a.m. CDT.
Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.
A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.
Today
64°F · Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 7 to 13 mph WSW · 27% chance of rain
Tonight
48°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 2 to 12 mph WSW · 50% chance of rain
Tuesday
63°F · Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 3 to 12 mph W · 34% chance of rain
Tuesday Night
47°F · Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
Wind 6 to 9 mph W · 18% chance of rain
Wednesday
65°F · Sunny
Wind 6 to 12 mph WSW · 0% chance of rain
Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Monday, August 17th at 9:04 a.m. CDT.
About 330 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. The government rates it a Type 3 Incident. About $7 million has been spent on it so far.
The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.
We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:
Within about 75 miles we're tracking 5 other active fires, closest first:
Fighting fire is a job you can get
Wildland firefighting is an entry-level job. You start with no experience and no college degree, and one season pays more than most summer internships.
Most crews hire in fall and winter for the next summer, when more jobs open up.
Montana has 2 of these jobs open right now.
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