Wildfire burning in southern Sapphires, mapped at 99 acres

A 99-acre wildfire, garnering western Montana’s first significant response of the season, is burning southwest of Philipsburg on the western edge of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. 

Crews were dispatched to the Elk Creek fire at 3:54 p.m. Saturday, according to interagency dispatch logs. The fire was mapped at 99 acres by Monday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service, 29 acres of which are on Forest Service land. 

The Elk Creek fire burns south of Skalkaho Pass on May 11, 2024. 

U.S. Forest Service photo by J. Hansen/

The fire is located in Foresman Meadows around Elk Creek, a tributary to Ross Fork, just south of Mount Ermine. It’s located about 11 miles south of Skalkaho Pass, 20 miles southwest of Philipsburg and 25 miles east-southeast of Hamilton. 

Three wildland fire engine crews, one helicopter, one hotshot crew of 20 people and “15–20 other miscellaneous firefighters” are working the blaze, according to the Forest Service. The fire was active with

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