Cooler temperatures and relief from gusting winds Sunday enabled fire crews to get a handle on the 350-acre fire in Bridger Canyon.
Crews from several counties and a helicopter supplied by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation were working to snuff out hot spots and flare-ups throughout Sunday, Information Officer Marianne Baumberger, of the Gallatin National Forest, said.
The blaze started late Saturday afternoon near the Flaming Arrow subdivision just south of the Bridger Bowl Ski Area.
Forecasters have predicted favorable weather for the early part of the week and even a chance of snow on Wednesday, which Baumberger said would be a big help in containing the fire.
At its peak Saturday evening, the fire blazed from Flaming Arrow Road north to Bridger Bowl and east to Bridger Canyon Road. Gallatin County Emergency Services reported that the fire did "spot across" Bridger Bowl property, but those areas were snuffed out late Saturday night.
Although the fire did not cross Bridger Canyon Road, the Montana Department of Transportation closed the road to through traffic around 7 p.m. Saturday. The road was reopened at reduced speeds by mid-morning Sunday.
Bridger Canyon resident Art Erickson said his brother first spotted the fire late Saturday afternoon approximately 250 yards from his home.
Gusting winds kept the fire roaring from around 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, he said, and if not for the defensible space around his home, it would have likely burned.
"The grass around my house is usually waist-high," he said. "But this summer, my mother told me to mow it down. I'm really glad I did."
With six firefighters stationed at his home and several officials coming in and out of his house, Erickson said, "For a while, it was kind of mad around here."
He noted that although his family was not asked to evacuate, around 6 p.m. they were encouraged to turn their vehicles towards the road in case they needed to leave at a moment's notice.
Erickson said he did his best to keep the fire from coming any closer to his home. Using his four-wheeler and a 15-gallon water tank, he drove around the perimeter of his property, putting out small fires.
As of Sunday afternoon, Baumberger had not received notice of any injuries or lost structures.
"In the heat of the battle there may have been a deck lost here or there, but I haven't heard of any homes," she said.
The cause of the blaze is still unknown and is being investigated by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, she said.
The Bozeman Police Department did receive a call around 5 p.m. Saturday from a Flaming Arrow resident who could see the fire her home. She told the dispatcher that the blaze could have been rekindled from a fire her husband had been burning the day before.
Amy May can be reached at amay@dailychronicle.com
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