At 6 p.m., Hoffman said he had received verification of structures on fire in the Judd Creek area but won't have a specific number of buildings destroyed until Monday.

“We are asking for people to cooperate,” he said. “We can’t let people back up there…this is a big area. If you pull the radar, you’ll see the plume is huge. We’ve got fairly steady high winds up in the canyons and this fire has just launched.”

The Red Cross has set up two shelters for evacuees at the First Baptist Church at Lewis and Cooper lanes and at The River Church at 354 Cooper Lane in Hamilton. Gates are open on the Ravalli County Fairgrounds for livestock. ABC Acres in Hamilton is also accepting livestock displaced from the fire.

Retired West Fork District Ranger Dave Campbell’s first hint that something was wrong came when the sun turned red Sunday afternoon while he was taking a break from his annual chore of stacking firewood “far away from the house.”

Campbell knew the area where the fire was burning had a heavy fuel load. When he could see the flames, he noticed they were whirling.

“You could tell there was very unstable air,” he said. “When you see those fire whirls, you know it’s going to be a very difficult fire to fight.”