(UPDATE, 5:45 pm) On Tuesday, fire agencies were able to quickly knock down a wildland fire located near the intersection of Birdseye Road and Echo Drive.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and started in a garage, which was lost. The total area burned was estimated at less than five acres. There were no injuries reported.
Birdseye Fire Chief Kyle Sturgill-Simon said the fire was contained to two backyards and was quickly suppressed thanks to the efforts of several agencies, including Baxendale, West Valley, East Valley, Eastgate, and DNRC and the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office.
Sturgill-Simon wants to remind folks to take a look at their own property to help mitigate fires.
"During the summer when we have heightened fire risk, it's a good time to look around their own properties. See if there's anything that's getting close to their decks and if they have any fire hazards that they could take care of now because we're usually busy when there's a fire going on and it's a whole lot better when we've come to a property in the rush is already been cleared," noted Sturgill-Simon.
The fire chief advised that items such as firewood, construction materials, and anything else that could potentially burn be moved away from a structure.
"We really appreciate it when people take care of that during the heightened fire season,” said Sturgill-Simon.
(1st REPORT) A wildland fire has been reported near the Birdseye area several miles northwest of Helena.
The fire was reported just before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday near Echo Drive.
Several fire agencies are responding to fight the fire, including aerial attacks making water drops. The area is under traffic control while there is a heavy firefighter presence.
At this time it is unclear the estimated size of the fire, or what may have been the cause of ignition.
We will update you as we get more information.
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