SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., March 30, 2015—Red Lodge Mountain Resort resumed operations Sunday after a wildfire about three miles west forced officials to evacuate its slopes on Saturday. About 650 skiers were evacuated from the ski area, and residents were evacuated from nearby subdivisions as 60 mph winds fanned the West Fork fire in Custer National Forest.

SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., March 30, 2015—Red Lodge Mountain Resort resumed operations Sunday after a wildfire about three miles west forced officials to evacuate its slopes on Saturday. About 650 skiers were evacuated from the ski area, and residents were evacuated from nearby subdivisions as 60 mph winds fanned the West Fork fire in Custer National Forest.

The fire has burned 400 acres and was still listed as active on Monday. Overcast skies, rising humidity, and lower temperatures on Sunday allowed crews to begin building containment lines for the blaze, said Jeff Gildehaus, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The West Fork fires has shifted away from Red Lodge, but crews will remain on-scene looking for any remaining embers that could be fanned by wind gusts.

While the investigation is ongoing, Gildehaus said officials have determined that the fire was human-caused.

Four other wildfires broke out in the state on Saturday, including one that shutdown Interstate 90 for most of the day between Laurel and Columbus and threatened nearby homes.

Gildehaus said unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds gusts are aiding the fires, which are not typically seen in the spring.

Red Lodge compensated evacuated skiers with vouchers. The area will remain open through April 5.

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