GREAT FALLS — The Phillips County Sheriff's Office issued a "fire emergency" for residents of Malta on Wednesday evening (July 2, 2025).
Just after 9 p.m. the agency said: "There is a large uncontrolled fire south of Malta heading toward Malta being pushed by high winds. Residents in the Hillcrest area are advised to evacuate to the north immediately. All other citizens are asked to stay out of that area and off the roads to allow law enforcement and fire crews to safely help evacuate people and fight the fire."
Malta City Hall was used as an evacuation shelter for those that had to leave their homes.
Just after 11pm, the agency provided another update: "The fire has been extinguished and crews are mopping up. The evacuation order is lifted and all residents may return to their residences. Hillcrest residents will experience lower than normal water pressure for a short time as well as no power until the integrity of all power poles can be verified. There was no loss of any residence and only a couple outbuildings were lost in the fire."
There is no word yet on the suspected cause of the fire. As of the last update, the fire burned approximately five acres.
We will update you as we get more information.
