New wildfire near Lincoln grows to 2.6 acres, remains active

A 2.6-acre wildfire burning 6 miles east of Lincoln in Lewis and Clark County remained active after it was first reported Sunday around 3:30 p.m. The Landers Fork Fire was small, but its location put nearby residents, recreation users and anyone traveling east of town in the path of a changing fire scene as crews worked to size it up.

No immediate containment details had been released with the latest update. A wildfire-tracking map placed the fire at about 2.63 acres and also listed containment as unavailable, underscoring that the situation was still developing near the Lincoln corridor.

The fire adds to a pattern that has kept western Lewis and Clark County on edge in recent fire seasons. NBC Montana reported the Sandbar 2 Fire east of Lincoln last year, and another wildfire east of Lincoln drew multiple agencies to the area, including Lincoln Volunteer Fire Rescue, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service.

That repeated activity matters because Montana is now in the heart of wildfire season. The DNRC says May through September is the core of wildfire season in the state and urges residents to have a wildfire evacuation plan and an emergency Go Kit ready. State fire information also notes that wildfires can affect Montana’s landscape, air quality, wildlife, agriculture, tourism and recreation, all of which are central to life in and around Lincoln.

For Lincoln-area residents, the immediate issue is not just acreage but response capacity. A small fire can still spread quickly if wind, dry fuels or rugged terrain complicate suppression, and eastbound traffic, nearby trail users and people living beyond town need to watch for changing conditions if the fire grows. With summer still deepening across Lewis and Clark County, even a fire measured in single-digit acres can signal how quickly the next wildfire problem can take shape.