Wildfire — Southern Rosebud, Montana

2012-07-01 to 2012-07-10 · Southern Rosebud, Montana

Wider weather episode

Dry conditions and high temperatures resulted in the wildfire season beginning earlier than normal. June and July brought above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. High temperatures during these months ranged from the upper 80s to lower 100s.

The Ash Creek Fire ignited on June 25th. It was caused by lightning and the origin was 10 miles east of Lame Deer. It burned in timber, juniper, pine, sage and grass. The fire burned 249,562 acres, 11 homes, and numerous outbuildings. In addition, the wildfire destroyed a state highway communications tower and knocked out transmissions. The fire complex had devastating effects on livestock and grazing lands.

Four additional fires broke out within close proximity to and shortly after the Ash Creek Fire. These fires were the Taylor Creek, Horse Creek, Powerline and Coal Seam Fires. All five fires were combined into one large incident and renamed the Southeastern Montana Complex. Of the five fires in this complex, the Ash Creek Fire was the first to ignite. The complex was contained on July 10th.

The following acreage was consumed by each fire:

Ash Creek-249,562

Taylor Creek-62,134

Horse Creek-7,575

Powerline-5,265

Coal Seam-527

Total Complex acres-325,063

The cost of fighting this complex was $7.5 million.

For additional information, please see the Incident Information website at

www.inciweb.org.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 391523. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.