CARBON COUNTY — At Rock Creek Resort, it was business as usual until 12:30 p.m. Monday, when the sky went dark and thick smoke from the East Side fire swallowed the mountain south of Red Lodge.
Falling ash quickly led to evacuations. More than 20 guests and employees quickly packed up and left as massive flames spread from tree to tree, sliding up the slope.
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"The team alerted me to some smoke, and we started to see ash fall down pretty quickly, actually," Rock Creek Resort General Manager Kyle Hester said Monday.
Flames quickly turned to face the resort, leaving Hester shocked.
"Absolutely unreal, unreal to see flames. I mean, smoke is one thing. I think we're used to that. But to see the flames coming over the ridge there is pretty terrifying, to be honest," Hester said.
Related: Highway 212 closed near Red Lodge due to fire; evacuations continue
Wildfires are a constant fear in the canyon, but not typically this time of year. The winds Monday have everyone on edge.
"I guess we all kind of anticipated maybe a little bit earlier this year due to the unseasonable weather we've had this winter but still really surprising to see it in April, right? This time of year, it's just very early to see that," Hester said.
With the fire constantly shifting directions, Hester felt uneasy.
"Considering our property's north of where the fire's located, it is a concern, yeah, at the moment at least," Hester said.
"We are attempting to fight the fire where we can get to it," Red Lodge Fire Chief Tom Kuntz said.
It has certainly been touch and go. Kuntz said the biggest concern has been homes in the 400 Ranch area, just off the highway and north of East Side Road and Rock Creek Resort.
"The fire right off the bat was burning in and around homes. So we deployed engines that we had responding in to do protection on those homes. The fire continued to move rapidly. And then it began to move up the hillside to the east of East Side Road. And the wind actually shifted and moved it, luckily away from the houses and more up slope. And it's been maintaining that as it's been burning," he said.
Fire behavior is unusual for this time of year.
"We're seeing this fire behavior is what we would even rarely see in July sometimes," Kuntz said.
The scene is striking fear into those who live here, knowing the area is months away from when fire season typically begins.
Lisa Cords is another resident watching the hillside go up in smoke.
"It just had started, and the wind picked it up and it really started growing and coming towards our homes and across the creek really. It really blew up," Cords said.
Cords said her home is safe for now.
"Our house is safe, I think. We're across the creek and it seems like it's blowing that way," Cords said.
Her main worry is all of the lost land.
"The animals, the wildlife, and just the loss of wilderness from something that most likely was preventable," Cords said.
With over 60 personnel on scene, she is thankful for those fighting the fire.
"Our firefighters are amazing, and they responded immediately. They blocked the road off immediately to control traffic and to control the situation," Cords said.
The East Side Fire has already burned 3,000 acres as of Monday night, with several evacuations and closures still in place. The flames, which sparked along East Side Road south of Red Lodge, were moving at a rapid pace to the north Monday evening with firefighters working to protect structures.
Highway 212 is closed south of Red Lodge at the Beartooth Ranger Station. Evacuations are in place south of Howell Gulch Road to Meeteetsee Trail Road and for Bull Moose in the 400 Ranch. All campgrounds along East Side Road were also evacuated.
