BUTTE — The Blacktail Canyon fire continued to burn Saturday in a densely wooded area southeast of Butte a day after it was first reported. Folks living in the vicinity of the fire say it’s been a nerve-racking two days.
“Just a little stressful, you know, I have my animals here, no livestock, fortunately, just pets. I don’t want to venture too far from home, just in case something does shift and we do have to evacuate,” said Passmore Canyon resident Randi Wedlake.
The fire was reported the afternoon of July 19 and grew to about 150 acres.
“We were able to get a lot of aircraft to kind of keep it in check, but that is not a solution to putting fires out,” said the public information officer on the wildfire, Kory Johnson.
Though the fire was slowed on the second day, residents in the area were given an evacuation warning.
“If the conditions changed, we could be dealing with a situation where we would have to evacuate,” said Butte Sheriff Ed Lester.
Some residents in the area said they’re prepared to leave if the fire grows.
“We just keep the sprinklers running, keep it as wet as we can and just keep our eye on it,” said Wedlake.
The fire forced organizers of the Butte 100 mountain bike race to divert the course around the fire at the last minute. The race had more than 400 participants and it went well despite the fire.
“We’re keeping those people in our hearts and thoughts, the firefighters and people fighting it, but for the racers it’s been an awesome day for them,” said Butte 100 organizer Stephanie Sorini.
The abundance of dry vegetation and lack of rain could make this a long firefight.
“This incident, to be realistic, is not to be measured in days, it’s not going to be over by next Friday or Saturday, it’s probably a weeks-long incident or longer than that,” Sheriff Lester said.
The Blacktail Canyon fire was estimated down to approximately 68 acres as of Saturday night.
