Nation’s highest priority fire growing

COLUMBUS, Mont. – The western edge of the Derby Mountain fire grew Sunday as wind picked up and crews labored in extreme dryness that has helped the nearly two-week-old blaze spread across 167,000 acres and burn 26 homes.

The south-central Montana fire is classified as the nation’s No. 1 firefighting priority, information officer Joan Dickerson said. Risk to people and property, and the potential for a fire’s growth, are among the factors a national wildfire coordination center considers in establishing the rankings. They influence the allocation of crews and equipment.

There have been no reports of death caused by the Derby Mountain fire, nor reports of major injury to people.

The fire, about 15 miles south of Big Timber, began with lightning Aug. 22 and has led to evacuation alerts for dozens of homes. Some people have returned to their property, while others remain in temporary housing. The National Guard on Sunday continued to staff roadblocks restricting access to the fire area.

Officials said 20 percent of the fire, which has burned within both the Gallatin and the Custer national forests, had been contained.