A wildfire burning one mile south of Lost Fork Ridge in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has drawn a Type 3 incident management team as fire weather conditions across Lewis and Clark County reach dangerous levels this week. The Ant Park Fire is being managed by Northern Rockies Team 8 under Incident Commander Nathan Stephens, with the public fire information line operating daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 406-420-3015.
The fire is unfolding against a backdrop of some of the most dangerous fire weather conditions the region has seen this season. The National Weather Service in Great Falls issued a Red Flag Warning Thursday covering the Lincoln Ranger District, the Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest areas, and the Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts — essentially the full stretch of forest that wraps around our city. Forecasters cited west winds gusting to 30 mph, relative humidity dropping as low as 11 percent, and temperatures climbing to 93 degrees. The agency's warning was blunt: any fires that develop will spread rapidly and containment will be extremely difficult.
Separately, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued an Air Quality Alert for Lewis and Clark County beginning Thursday morning, warning that particulates have been trending upward across a wide swath of western Montana that includes Missoula, Gallatin, and Jefferson counties. The alert ran through Saturday morning. Residents with respiratory conditions, the elderly, and children are typically advised to limit prolonged outdoor activity during such alerts, though air quality can shift quickly depending on wind direction.
Helena sits in a bowl, and anyone who has lived here through a smoky August knows how fast the valley can fill. With a named fire already active in the national forest to our north and red flag conditions in place, the coming days will require close attention. Residents can track the Ant Park Fire at inciweb.wildfire.gov or reach the fire information line directly. Updates are also being posted by the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest at 2026.antpark@firenet.gov.