CSKT aid in suppression of Browning winter wildfires

By B.L. Azure

BROWNING — It was fire on ice and smoke on the snow this past week on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation as a rare winter wildfire consumed 18,000 acres of agricultural and grass lands just north and southeast of Browning. There were no deaths or injuries resulting from the off-season wildfire.

Approximately 85 fire fighters manned the blazes with the aid of 25 fire engines and 15 water tankers. Much of the manpower and equipment came from Blackfeet Nation as well as rural VFDs near Browning and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The CSKT Division of Fire dispatched a dozen engine operators and overhead staff as wells as four fire engines to assist in bringing the out-of-season wildfire under control. They were on-site from Thursday through Saturday at the fires that began late Wednesday, Jan. 4.

“It is very unusual to have wildfires this time of year,” said Devlin Lafromboise, DOF information officer. “There hasn’t been much snow up there so far this year and there was a lot of exposed dry grass. Combine that with the high winds and that makes a bad mix for fire fighters.”

Lafromboise said DOF had to blow the mothballs and dust off its firefighting equipment.

“All our firefighting gear had been put away for the winter,” he said. “This shows that we have to be on our toes all year round. We have to be ready for anything and everything at anytime.”

The winds, clocked at 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 70 mph, aided the rapid spread of the fires through the dried grasslands and hay fields.

The area did not receive a lot of precipitation this past summer and fall after a wet spring. The La Nina effect accompanied by osculating Pacific Ocean currents has funneled the usual fall and winter precipitation and temperatures north and south of Montana — so far.

Two homes, and numerous outbuildings, vehicles and farm implements as well as hay bales were destroyed by the fast moving fire, which spread at about 30 mph. Close to 400 people were evacuated from residences in the path of the fire.

There were two large fires on the Blackfeet Reservation.

The Boy Fire started north of Browning near Star School and Cut Bank Creek and consumed 6,000 acres as it burned to the east before being contained. Sparks from a chimney started the fire.

The Y Fire burned along U.S. Highway 2 and Montana 89 east of Browning and consumed 12,000 acres before being contained over the weekend. A high-wind downed Glacier Electric Cooperative power line started the fire.

The Blackfeet Nation has established a donation fund for those affected by the fire. The donations may be sent to: Fire Relief, Blackfeet Nation Tribal Headquarters, P.O. Box 850, Browning, MT, 59417.