The Ant Park Fire was burning approximately one mile south of Lost Fork Ridge near the headwaters of the North Fork of the South Fork of the Sun River as of August 6th, according to an update posted by the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 8, led by Incident Commander Nathan Stephens, has been assigned to the fire.
The assignment of a named incident management team signals that the fire has grown beyond what local forest crews can manage on their own. IC3-level teams like Team 8 handle fires that require coordinated air and ground resources, public information operations, and multi-day or multi-week suppression strategies. The fire information line — 406-420-3015 — is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the fire has its own incident email address and InciWeb page.
The location puts the fire in remote terrain in the Sun River drainage, an area that includes both the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex and the Rocky Mountain Front — country that is as rugged as it gets in Montana. Fire behavior in that terrain can be difficult to predict, particularly under the Red Flag Warning conditions forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Residents with questions or concerns can reach the fire information line or monitor updates at the InciWeb incident page. Anyone planning backcountry travel in the affected portions of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest should check current closures before heading out.