Four wildfires in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson counties were human caused, officials say

Four wildfires that started last week in Jefferson and Lewis and Clark counties were human caused, including three started by escaped debris burns, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation officials said.

Most of the fires are mostly contained after cooler weather over the weekend, but firefighters were still on the scene of one fire in Lewis and Clark County that started Friday.

The department said the Rattlesnake fire near Gates of the Mountains, the Ordway fire northeast of Craig and the Golconda fire southeast of Jefferson City were all caused by escaped debris burns on Friday afternoon, when winds were 15-30 mph and gusting up to 50 mph in the area.

The department said the Panama fire, which burned 598 acres northeast of Cardwell last week, was caused by a campfire.

The Panama and Golconda fires were 100% contained as of Sunday afternoon. The Rattlesnake fire was 100% contained at 47 acres as of midday Monday, though crews were doing suppression repair and monitoring the fire area, the DNRC said.

The Ordway fire northeast of Craig sat at 185 acres as of Monday afternoon and was 75% contained. Six engines, one Type 1 helicopter and two hand crews were still working the fire on Monday afternoon, and crews were working to finish a full-perimeter hand line to continue mopping up. Smoke was still expected in the fire's interior throughout the day, the DNRC said.

The evacuation orders that had been in place since Friday were also downgraded to evacuation warnings, meaning residents were allowed to return home but advised to stay alert in case conditions changed. Fire officials are still only granting access to the area to residents.

Editor's note: This story was updated Monday afternoon to include the latest on the Ordway and Rattlesnake fires.