sleepless night

[Gussy]

I did not sleep well last night. Forest fire started mid day by a neighbor cutting grass with a brush hog. Must have hit rocks setting off sparks and fire. It quickly spread up the hill, a VERY steep hill. The hill was sparse grass and vey little timber. Once it hit the top, it started sideways both directions.

We were lucky, the wind was mostly the other way. It was across a canyon and river from us but fire does have a way of hopping over things like that. They managed to get a cat on the ridge to cut a fire break part way down on our end until it got too steep and rocky. A hand crew arrived and cut a hand trail from the cat path on down to the river I could see their head lamps as they worked all night. I watched the fire work it's way down this end until 11 last night. We were under a level 2 evacuation order.

This morning the fire brake held except for a small area on top and I guess the hand crew stopped it there. This morning I watched a hand crew spread out and go down the ridge they had stopped it on checking for hot spots and they did use a hose from a truck on top.

The other end of the fire is still going but Helicopters showed up strong this morning and they should have it stopped by now, but I haven't been down to see. Enough damn tourists in the way of fire fighters as it is.

[Don McDowell]

Nothing makes a person worry more than the smoke from a forest fire just a short distance from your house.
Hope they get it all under control and that you don't loose anymore sleep over it.

[Rowdy Rick]

Gussy,
Man I hope you come out of this o.k. Keep us posted.
Rick

[Dan Cash]

Nothing makes a person worry more than the smoke from a forest fire just a short distance from your house.
Hope they get it all under control and that you don't loose anymore sleep over it.

You are right, Don. Wake up here, 10 miles East of Montana, in the cool of the morning and smell pine woods and grassland on fire is unsettling. It is little consolation to find that the fire is West of Billings or up in Saskatchewan somewhere.

[Old Jim]

Our thoughts go out to western residents during the fire season.

Locally, we have grass-fires. With a nearby water supply, controlled by The Corp Of Eng., a flow of 600,000 cfs is ample to fight our fires, but individuals need a "permit" from the Corp to insert a 4" pump in that river to draw water for the fire. Said permit takes several days to be approved. I will drop my pump in that river when needed and they can bill me. Our fire-fighters are all volunteers, and no one has lost a home because we care.

[Gussy]

All the live fire is out. Still a smoldering stump or two making a little smoke. It got within about 1/2 mile of my driveway but we were lucky to be on the good side of the light wind. The fire was stopped at our end at the same place one was stopped 3 years ago. A Cat made a break part way down the hill until it got to steep and then the hand crew dug out a break from there down.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a fire pump and putting a tank above the house with 5-10,000 gallons.

[Kurt]

Good to hear Jim. When passing through your local a couple weeks ago looking at all the brown grass made me think what would stop the fire from a careless motorist tossing a lit cigarette out of the window the way the wind was blowing.

If I lived in a location where wild fires are common I would trench in some plastic tubing and put sprinkler heads a couple circles around the homestead perimeter to dampen down the grass wide enough for a fire break.

When I was down in North Carolina in the service several times our whole battalion would get called out to help the forest service fire fighters. My hat is off to those guys that do this. It's a tough job.

[Gussy]

I Have at least 30' of open or green area between the brush and my buildings. I'm looking at portable fire/foam systems right now. 3 fires in the last 3 years keeps me a little on edge (4 in the last 10 years, one very big one). None have gotten closer then 1/2 mile, which is way the hell too close.

[Rick Mulhern]

What we do:

http://www.evergreenflying.com/index_H.asp

We got birds stationed out that way and they've been timing out every day!

On many occasions if the FS would get us in early on some of these 'start ups' we could knock them out quickly! But I believe the general consensus is they'd rather move in 2000 ground troopers and bulldozers to justify their budget!!

[Gussy]

What we do:

http://www.evergreenflying.com/index_H.asp

We got birds stationed out that way and they've been timing out every day!

On many occasions if the FS would get us in early on some of these 'start ups' we could knock them out quickly! But I believe the general consensus is they'd rather move in 2000 ground troopers and bulldozers to justify their budget!!

Actually the first guy to hit the fire at our end was a crop duster. He made several runs. The local pilots are used to the steep hills and are used a lot around here.

He circled the fire several times and at first I thought he was just a spotter plane. Then after he picked his spot, he hit it!!