Wildfire in Madison, Montana

The Goose Fire was located near Hoodoo Pass about 32 miles south of Ennis. The fire was ignited by lightning on July 1st and burned through the month of July, though it was 80 percent contained by August 1st. The initial 250 acre fire was inaccessible to containment crews and was classified as a type 2 incident during its peak on July 10th. By the end of the month, it grew to 7,522 acres and at one structure was destroyed. The cost to fight the fire was about $7.6 million.

Strong high pressure was the dominant weather pattern in July, which was occasionally suppressed by passing shortwaves and modest moisture for periods of scattered thunderstorms. Often times, the thunderstorm activity was followed by gusty winds and low relative humidity. Both lightning and human caused fires flourished in this environment.