Jericho Creek Fire brings smoke, traffic and closures near MacDonald Pass

Smoke from the Jericho Creek Fire was expected to hang over the mountains west of Helena through the week, while crews warned drivers to brace for heavy vehicle traffic on Telegraph Road and Hahn Creek Road and stay out of the Continental Divide area south of MacDonald Pass to Minnehaha Creek Road and Bryon Creek Road.

The lightning-sparked fire, first reported May 13 at about 1:40 p.m., had grown to an estimated 2,068 acres and was 31% contained by the morning of May 25. The blaze is burning in timber about 16 miles southwest of Helena on Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest land, making it a visible regional concern even though it remains well outside the city limits.

Managers said strategic firing operations conducted the day before the update were successful in bringing the fire to containment lines. That work, along with the fire’s perimeter holding, was one reason officials expected continued smoke rather than major new acreage gains. An increased chance of precipitation forecast for the week was also expected to help moderate fire activity inside the burn area.

Crews are still working in hazardous country. The Continental Divide Trail Coalition said the forest asked people to avoid CDT miles roughly 2664 to 2677.5 near MacDonald Pass, with no recommended reroute in place at the time of the May 15 alert. The coalition said firefighters were using an indirect confinement strategy, relying on containment lines and fuel breaks built during the 2025 Jericho Mountain Fire, while dealing with snags, heavy dead-and-down timber and windy conditions.

Resources assigned to the fire included two hotshot crews, one dozer, two masticators, one excavator, one skidgine, one water tender, two engines, three suppression modules and one UAS module. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest spans 2.8 million acres across central and north-central Montana and includes six ranger districts, underscoring how quickly a single wildfire can ripple across recreation, travel and public safety in the region.

For Helena-area residents, the practical impact is immediate: expect smoky air, changing visibility near MacDonald Pass and more fire-related traffic as crews move equipment and work the containment lines. Montana officials note that wildfires can affect air quality, wildlife, agriculture, tourism and recreation, and Jericho Creek is already doing exactly that for people who live, work and spend time in the hills above the city.