Fire near Basin Creek Reservoir reported Saturday afternoon; crews working to extinguish

A wildfire that started Saturday afternoon in the Basin Creek Reservoir area south of Butte had grown to an estimated 6.7 acres as of Sunday afternoon, and crews were still working to get the fire extinguished late Sunday.

According to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, the fire was reported approximately 11 miles south of Butte and one mile east of the Basin Canyon Picnic Area late on Saturday afternoon.

The fire was initially estimated at one acre in size and was burning in an area with heavy slash that does not currently have snow. The fire was creeping toward the timbered area of the site, the Forest Service said, and was an estimated 3 acres in size on Sunday morning.

The fire is located within the Basin Creek Watershed Project, but the Forest Service has not been burning slash piles in the area recently. Forest Service Law Enforcement will determine the fire’s cause.

Firefighters worked on saw lines along the southern and northern edges of the fire until 7 p.m. to create a buffer line so firing operations could remove fuels from the active edge of the fire.

Crews were working toward full extinguishment on Sunday, the Forest Service said.

The Forest Service did conduct prescribed burns in the area in December, burning slash piles to try to reduce fuels. Officials have been working on reducing the vast number of beetle-killed trees surrounding the reservoir for several years, driven by concerns a massive wildfire could choke Butte-Silver Bow County’s main source of drinking water with sediments and ash.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Basin Creek site showed 63% of the median snow-water equivalent for March 1 compared to observations between 1991 and 2020.

Butte-Silver Bow County residents can sign up for emergency alerts at ReadyButteMT.gov.