A thick smoke rolled into Helena Sunday evening and brought with it the strong stench of fire along with low visibility.

However, according to Amy Teegarden, spokesperson for the Helena National Forest, it had little to do with fires in the immediate area. It did cause officials to call off helicopters and retardant tankers from local fires because visibility became too low for pilots to safety see, she said.

The Meriwether fire continued to kick up smoke columns Sunday likely from the 200 acres that burned near Willow Creek inside the fire containment line Sunday, says Teegarden.

The precipitation helped cool things down and aided crews getting a fire line established in the Hunter’s Gulch area, which has been difficult up until now, she said.

The lightning-caused Meriwether fire began July 21 and has burned nearly 43,000 acres in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area and remains 75 percent contained.

Teegarden says crews will work toward getting a fire line established around 100 percent of the perimeter. On Sunday night about a two- to four-mile stretch was still remaining to secure.

Three storms over the weekend caused 116 positive lightning strikes, Teegarden said, adding that they could keep crews busy over the next few days with initial attacks. In the Helena area the lightning caused 11 new fires, mostly in the Lincoln area, but Teegarden says nearly all are controlled and contained.

The fire getting most of the official’s attention is the Bull Mountain fire that started on Saturday and was about 100 acres Sunday night. The fire is northwest of Lincoln near the boundary between the HNF and Lolo National Forest north of Highway 200, Teegarden said adding that smokejumpers worked on Sunday and have three sides with a fire line established.