Corral Fire

Our corner of the Rocky Mountains is one shaped by wildfires.  Fires are expected, especially in the heat of summer.  The photos posted today are from the Corral Fire.  I took the photographs on June 25 on my way home from Helena.

The fire, spurred by strong winds, raced through the timbered Scratchgravel Hills and initially consumed over 700 acres in about 7 hours.  Yesterday, a new surge of brisk winds kicked the fire off into a new direction.  The fire grew to about 1,900 acres.  At one point, the fire jumped one of the main roads in the Helena Valley and tried to reach into several subdivisions. 

At this point, at least 4 homes have been lost.  The fire originated at a slash pile where a homeowner had burned beetle-kill pine 3 days previous.  The unusually high winds brought the fire back to life and pushed flames into the dry hills.

--Mitchell Hegman