HELENA — With the Horse Gulch Fire continuing to spread, gusts of winds from the northwest bring concern, and risk, to residents in the area as well as the structures throughout that area.
Since it first started on Tuesday, the Horse Gulch Fire continues to grow. On Saturday, a red flag warning was issued from 2 p.m. until midnight, bringing gusts of northwest winds to the area, a concern for more residents and structures in the area.
On Saturday, Governor Greg Gianforte secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fight the fire.
The grant allows FEMA funding to pay 75% of the state's eligible firefighting costs which includes materials and supplies, mobilization and demobilization, equipment use, aviation use for firefighting and expenses for field camps.
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Since the Horse Gulch Fire began, it has impacted the community of York, with nearly 500 homes, and more than 400 people at risk.
As of Saturday at 10 a.m., it’s burned more than 11,607 acres, and is zero percent contained.
With a Red Flag Warning in effect on Saturday, that could mean structures are at risk, as well as more evacuations with residents needing to find shelters.
“We're just seeing an influx of people that have used a lot of money to pay for hotels. And now they're like, I can't afford it anymore. Do I have a place to stay? and of course, say we are open for everybody to come and stay at the church,” said Red Cross Shelter Supervisor, Sue Hawthorn.
The Red Cross shelter, which is located at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church on North Benton Avenue in Helena has had their shelter open since Wednesday, housing those who have been evacuated.
With expectations for the wildfire to worsen, they are preparing to see more come in needing help.
“Everybody is welcome here. We want to make sure that we provide meals for you. You know, if you have dietary issues and you're like, ‘I don't think I can go,’ no, we'll take care of that for you as well,” said Hawthorn.
With the Red Cross sheltering more evacuees, they're also looking to the community for support.
“The Red Cross mission is, you know, that immediate response, get you in, get you somewhere safe, feed you a meal. You know, for the donation part in the volunteering, we're really relying on the other agencies within Helena to pick that part up for us. We just don't have the manpower to do it here,” said Hawthorn.
In a statement from Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, If you live in an area impacted by the Horse Gulch Fire in Broadwater County, you can sign up for emergency notification text alerts, by texting: “BCNOTIFY” to the number 91896.
On Saturday, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest will also hold a public meeting at East Helena High School at 6 p.m. for more updates on the fire. You can also join their live stream to attend virtually on their Facebook page.
