Big Timber Volunteer Fire Department

Hobble Fire:

The First Three Days

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Hobble Fire Timeline:

2300, August 8: Lightning ignited the Hobble Fire at about 2030 on Friday, August 8th, north of the Yellowstone River and northeast of  the town of Greycliff. By 2300, wind had spread the fire to an estimated 1,000 acres and flames were easily visible from Interstate 90. The terrain consists of rolling hills with grass, sagebrush, and scattered stands of thick timber. Firefighters are currently protecting one residence. Melville, McLeod, and Reed Point Fire Departments are all assisting Big Timber Volunteer Fire Department. Park County Rural Fire Department has sent one truck to assist tonight. Sweet Grass County will send one cat and two graders  to the fire at dawn on Saturday. Three trucks from DNRC are expected to arrive Saturday morning as well.

0600, August 9: About 50 area firefighters are now working to contain the Hobble Fire including at least one crew from the state. The strong erratic winds have died down but the fire is still out of control and zero percent contained, estimated at over 1,000 acres. The fire has been spreading through the grass, brush, and through the crowns of the scattered stands of thick timber. No one has been evacuated and no structures have been lost.

1430, August 9: The Hobble Fire is still zero percent contained. Mark Stephens, Big Timber Fire Chief, estimates the fire is 1200-1500 acres in size and probably won't have any containment until Sunday. The fire is in heavy timber along ridgetops. Steep slopes are making it difficult to cut fire lines with heavy equipment. Winds are calm at this time. One US Forest Service helicopter has been able to assist with firefighting efforts this afternoon, performing multiple water drops into active torching areas.
    The location of the Hobble Fire is north of the town of Greycliff, east of Big Timber. Dead Man's Canyon Road has been restricted to emergency traffic only. Two homes have been threatened by this fire but no damage is reported.
    Weather forecasts threaten more lightning this afternoon and evening with winds up to 40 mph. This suggests the threat of not only the Hobble Fire spreading quickly, but also that more fires can ignite around the county.

1600, August 9: A major wind event spread flames across Dead Man's Canyon Road. Two haystacks and two old outbuildings were burned. One home is threatened and the residents of the home have been evacuated. Bombers have dropped two loads of retardant so far in an effort to stop the progress of the flames.

1745, August 9: Sheriff's Office personnel have begun evacuating the east side of Lower Sweet Grass Road north of Dead Man's Canyon Road. The fire is running out of control and fire personnel are hesitant to predict where it will go.

2000, August 9: Cory Conner, Big Timber Assistant Fire Chief, estimates the Hobble Fire is between 2,000 to 2,500 acres. The fire is still running out of control.

2130, August 9: About 100-120 firefighters are fighting the Hobble Fire and most of the crews will be pulled off the fire overnight due to erratic fire behavior. Cory Conner, Big Timber Assistant Fire Chief, expects that most responsibilities will be turned over to a Type III overhead team if the fire continues out of control. Bringing in a Type III overhead will allow Big Timber to fight any new fires that may start instead of allocating all local resources to the Hobble Fire. 
    In the past two hours, the fire jumped every fire line that crews had spent all day constructing and the fire grew to 3,000 to 3,500 acres. Three residences were saved by about 10 retardant drops from the air. No homes have been lost thus far.
    Currently crews from Big Timber, Melville, and McLeod Volunteer Fire Departments, Sweet Grass County Road Department, Reed Point FD, Park Rural FD, Department of State Lands, Bureau of Land Management, as well as numerous private heavy equipment operators with their own equipment are working on this fire.

2300, August 9: The newest information estimates 10,000 acres have been burned.  The next update is expected at 0700 August 10, 2003.

1000, August 10: The fire ran for two miles last night before laying down about 0300. Current estimates are still at 10,000 acres due to better GPS data. Next update expected at 1400 today.

1800, August 10: A Type III team arrived starting this morning, meaning that more fire crews from the state. By this afternoon about 150 firefighters were working on this fire. Air operations were active today with one lead plane, three air tankers and one helicopter. According to Bob Fry, District Representative from Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, small portions of the fire were contained this morning and they were trying to build more containment from those areas. The Hobble Fire started to run again at about 1300 today. The fire was expanding mainly along the north border and the east border. Evacuation has been ordered for residents along a section of Stephens Hill Road and more residents evacuated along Lower Sweet Grass Road. The Red Cross is staffing a shelter at the Civic Center in Big Timber for displaced families. No homes have been lost so far.
    The State DNRC Office is expected to assign a Type II Overhead Team for the Hobble Fire sometime tomorrow afternoon. The Type II Team will take over management of this fire and provide additional crews and supporting resources. Some local firefighters will remain working on this fire.
    Smokey conditions in the area are severe and people with respiratory conditions are asked to stay indoors or leave the area until the conditions improve. People with respiratory problems should visit the Pioneer Emergency Room.

1930, August 10: The fire jumped the East Fork Road and Lower Sweet Grass Road north of Howie. Some outbuildings have been lost but no homes have been lost so far.

2100, August 10: Estimates of fire size at this time are at 30,000 acres. Winds have died down and the fire is laying down. All residents need to be aware that this fire is considered unpredictable and can endanger any home in the area. No homes have been burned at this time but about 50 homes have been evacuated and are still threatened.

0900, August 11: More evacuations are expected today after the fire jumped Rapelje Road last night and traveled about a half mile on the other side. The area of the fire is about 12 miles long and 6 miles wide. Firefighters are concentrating on holding the fire where it is but the forecast is for more winds this afternoon and it is expected to blow up again today.
    Montana Highway Patrol is asking motorists to turn their lights on while traveling Interstate 90 and not to stop on the shoulder of the highway as it creates a serious traffic hazard particularly with the low visibility.

2200, August 11: The Hobble Fire is 34,000 acres and uncontained with minimal activity today. The Type II Overhead Team has assumed management and all further information on this fire will come from them and will be posted to this website. See Hobble Update.