Wildfire Burns Over 3,000 Acres West Of The Pines

Lightning set off a wildfire on Bureau of Land Management land west of the Pines Recreation area on Fort Peck Lake the night of Aug 20 or early morning on Aug. 21, according to Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Fire Manager Don Pyrah.

Pyrah said the blaze was sparked during a lightning storm that rolled through the area last Thursday evening and early Friday morning and had grown throughout the day Friday. Glasgow's Long Run Fire Department and the Pines Fire Department responded to the fire Friday afternoon with the help of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the County Road Department.

By Friday evening, crews with the Montana DNRC and US Forest Service had arrived to assist in bringing along an arsenal of trucks, dozers and helicopters.

"Initial attack resources were doing a great job," said Pyrah, referring to Long Run Fire, USFWS and BLM resources. He added that due to the nature of the fire and the concern for rapid spread the command and control for the blaze was transferred to DNRC on Friday evening.

On Friday, the initial response drew 95 personnel, two helicopters, three bulldozers, two County Road Department blades and 22 fire trucks. Pyrah said that early efforts Friday and Saturday focused on preventing the fire from moving east where it would have threatened structures, homes and the Pines. To assist with efforts on Saturday, the DNRC secured the help of some regional fire fighting assets in the form of two scoopers, two air tankers and two Aerial Supervision Observation Platforms.

"So with some really good work between ground and air resources we were able to limit spread to the east," stated Pyrah.

Preventing an eastward spread coupled with high winds and dry conditions did leave the fire zero percent contained as of Saturday evening but it had only threatened one structure that needed to be evacuated.

On Sunday the winds died slightly and shifted to the east and southeast which Pyrah said contributed to the success of battling the blaze from the ground. The nature of the fire going into Sunday morning meant Pyrah was able to release the larger aerial resources to other fires and the ground crews, supported by the two helicopters, were able to extinguish all of the fire's flames and reach a 28 percent containment level by Sunday night.

Pyrah said despite all of the flames being extinguished, to list the fire as controlled he needs to have it 100 percent contained. Containment by DNRC standards means crews need to have two chains, or 132 feet, of completely cold area all around the fire's perimeter.

"In our business, that's how we refer to containment," said Pyrah, emphasizing the amount of safety put into making sure the fire is secure and safe before they leave the scene.

As of Monday, Pyrah said the fire would likely not be 100 percent contained for two to three days, and he anticipates having people on scene monitoring the fire until Thursday or Friday of next week (Sept. 3 or 4). "[Containment] is a process of improvement (on the fire's perimeter) over the next couple of days," he explained.

Pyrah said there is an added benefit to leaving crews on scene for the next few days, since more lightning is in the forecast for the area, providing an early warning and response if more fires are touched off in the "incredibly dry" terrain in Valley County.

As of Monday, the fire had not grown in acreage and the total area of land burned was 3,266.5 acres. Of that, 2,549 acres was BLM land, 712 was private land and 5.5 acres was state land. No buildings were destroyed in the blaze, but one structure had been evacuated. Pyrah added that since the fire originated on BLM land the federal government will be responsible for paying the expenses associated with fighting the fire, saving the state and Valley County a good deal of money.