The National Weather Service office in Great Falls issued a Red Flag Warning for portions of the Helena area beginning noon Friday and running through 9 p.m. Saturday, August 8th, citing a combination of hot temperatures, gusty winds, and low relative humidity that fire managers consider prime conditions for rapid fire spread.
The warning covers the Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, as well as central and eastern portions of the Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts. A Fire Weather Watch that had been in effect prior to the warning was canceled when the more serious Red Flag Warning was issued Wednesday night at 10:51 p.m.
Red Flag Warnings are not issued lightly. They signal that any ignition — a spark from equipment, an unattended campfire, or a discarded cigarette — carries a significantly elevated risk of becoming a fast-moving wildfire. Residents in the foothills and anyone recreating in the national forest over the weekend should be aware that fire restrictions may be in effect and that outdoor burning is likely prohibited in the affected zones.
The warning comes as the Ant Park Fire is already burning approximately one mile south of Lost Fork Ridge near the North Fork of the South Fork of the Sun River — a reminder that fire conditions in the Helena area this week are not theoretical.