A wind-driven wildfire that sparked in Makoshika State Park early Thursday evening was largely out by Friday morning, thanks in part to heavy rains that came through later Thursday night.

The fire prompted evacuation of about seven campsites and a partial closure of the park ahead of the holiday weekend, according to park manager Riley Bell.

“It started pretty quickly, and moved pretty quickly, and it stopped pretty quickly, but it could have been a lot worse,” said Makoshika manager Riley Bell.

The Montana Fire Information website (https://www.mtfireinfo.org) lists the Makoshika Fire as burning 169 acres, largely along the ridge line above a winding road referred to as the switchbacks, and all within park boundaries. The blaze claimed the popular yurt campsite, a toilet near the tent campsites, some picnic tables and some signs. It’s unknown if there are damages to any trails. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The West Glendive Fire Department relinquished Incident Command to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on Friday morning. The visitor’s center near the entrance remains open to the public, but all other areas of the park remain closed due to some hot spots.

“Fire crews left the park over the weekend after they finished mopping up,” said Brian Burky, FWP’s Parks and Outdoor Recreation Manager for southeast Montana. “Since then, we have had several flare-ups – all small and all quickly dealt with – but the site is not yet safe for the public.”

“Currently the hope is to open much of the park to the public for camping and day use on Friday morning, if conditions permit,” Burky said Monday. “Staff are watching the weather closely, as 90+ and even 100 degrees are in the forecast for this week. The closure could be extended if conditions degrade.”

The fire response included the West Glendive Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Aerial suppression resources were called in. The Custer County and Wibaux fire departments also came to support efforts.

Neither Bell nor Burky knew if the yurt would be replaced. The round, fully furnished structure with a deck became a very popular lodging option after it was completed in 2023.

“The yurt has been reserved almost every night since early June, and into late July, and that night [of the fire] was the only night nobody was in it,” Bell said. “Otherwise, that could have been bad. The fire took, like, 10 minutes to get there.”