Some Sand Creek evacuees return home; FEMA to help pay for fire response

Containment remained at 1% Monday.

The Sand Creek fire, about 7.5 miles southeast of Wisdom, started Aug. 1, one day after the nearby Bobcat Lakes fire, 13 miles southwest of Wise River. The Bobcat Lakes fire’s estimated size lingered at about 9,791 acres Monday; containment was said to be about 19%.

Some residents in the Grasshopper Valley and vicinity who were ordered to evacuate as the Sand Fire threatened homes and other structures were allowed to return home, with directions to remain watchful and prepare to flee again.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday it has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Sand Creek fire burning in Beaverhead County.

FEMA Region 8, based in Denver, said it approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant on Friday evening after receiving the request and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.

“At the time of the request, the Sand Creek fire was threatening more than 170 homes and other infrastructure, including commercial buildings, communications, utilities, transportation and emergency-response facilities,” FEMA said.

The emergency management agency noted that the Sand Creek fire was burning a few miles from the Bobcat Lakes fire, “raising the risk the two fires could merge into one larger fire.”

Ben Patten, an operations section chief for Team 3, was asked during a fire briefing Thursday in Wise River about the possibility of the fires merging. He said he thought topography, fuel types and other circumstances weighed against that outcome.

“We have been looking at the possibility of that,” he said. “Not saying that can’t happen. It would not be an advantage.”

The FEMA authorization makes funding available to pay 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

Grasshopper Valley residents who were evacuated in the Shale Creek and Clark Creek area were advised Monday that they could return to their property. These two evacuation areas have been moved to a “set” status, which means residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

The Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office said that everything above the Clark Creek and Shale Creek area is still in a “go” status, an evacuation posture that means immediate danger looms and residents must leave immediately.

Residents were advised to remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, for residents evacuated in the Billings Creek area and south, all restrictions have been removed, and residents may return to their properties.

The Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway will remain closed until further notice. During a fire briefing Thursday in Wise River, Team 3 noted that the byway’s closure is necessary in large part because of steady fire-related traffic.

“We're able to move resources north and south, and at nighttime, our night divisions are patrolling that entire highway,” Patten said. “So, we will open that as soon as we can. A lot of it has to do with the heavy use by fire traffic.

“I'll just be honest,” he said. “I think it's going to be a while before the byway opens with all the workload that's going to be going on back in there.”

The Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway travels about 49 miles between Wise River and Montana 278, passing by and through the East and West Pioneers, passing the Coolidge Ghost Town, Crystal Park, Elkhorn Hot Springs and Maverick Mountain ski area.

“Do not attempt to take the byway," the Sheriff’s Office emphasized. “There will be a strong law enforcement presence in the area for the next couple weeks.”

During each of the separate fire briefings last week, in Jackson and then Wise River, a crowd member wondered whether the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest’s response to the Sand Creek fire could have been better.

Corey Lewellen, acting forest supervisor for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, shared a similar response with each questioner.

“We were actively engaged on that Bobcat Lakes fire on July 31,” he said in Wise River. “The Sand Creek fire started Aug. 1, and we, I mean, immediately engaged that fire. Immediately. … These fires just grew very fast and very rapid, and we just got dealt some really tough cards.”