(Updated 3:45 p.m. MDT, 9/5/2020)
Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin confirmed in a press conference on Saturday that evacuations are underway in Bridger Canyon due to the Bridger Foothills Fire.
The Sheriff's Office said the following in a press release:
"The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is evacuating residents in Bridger Canyon near the Bridger Foothills Fire.
If you are a resident of Bridger Canyon who has not been contacted by the sheriff’s office yet, you are asked to evacuate voluntarily.
Residents were warned yesterday and this morning prior to the evacuations.
Bridger Canyon Road is currently closed to non-residents between Story Mill Road and Sedan. It is important for people to stay away from Bridger Canyon to allow for responders to work on the fire.
People are also asked to not call 911 unless they are directly impacted by the fire. Our dispatchers are being inundated with calls."
Sheriff's deputies are diverting traffic away from Bridger Canyon on both sides of the closure. Park County Sheriff's Deputies are stationed in Sedan and turning away motorists.
The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center for anyone displaced by the Bridger Foothills Fire at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bozeman.
We will update this story with any further information we receive.
