Forest Service stays busy

MINERAL COUNTY - There may have only been two small fires in Mineral County as a result of a lightning storm last Monday night but that doesn’t mean Forest Service personnel aren’t remaining vigilant.

With the fire danger status still at high and expected to rise to very high perhaps this week, the Forest Service wants the public to remain cautious when it comes to how they behave in the Lolo National Forest.

Forest Service Fire Management Officer Jim Ward said while the fires last week were relatively small, one was in a rugged part of the forest and required a number of firefighters and helicopter water drops to contain. Ward said the Neu Ridge Fire southeast of Superior initially thwarted attempts at containment by jumping fire lines.

“Three firefighters went up very early in the morning,” Ward said. “It took them several hours to get there. They started the initial attack and realized they needed more people. Every time they would get their line constructed the fire would spot across the line and get reestablished.”

Ward said another problem was the forest floor was heavy with fuel. He said firefighters on the scene said there were plenty of what the Forest Service refers to as “blowdown.” Blowdown refers to trees that have fallen due to a variety of reasons including weather, natural death or death due to beetle infestation.

“There was a heavy fuel load,” Ward said. “Late Tuesday afternoon we sent more people up. After a couple of hours they were able to get all the spot fires and the main fire lined and then they just had to hold it.”

A helicopter was used in the operation according to Ward for water and supply drops. He said with the amount of trees down on the forest floor, an unusually high number of chainsaws were required to fight the fire.

“At one point they had nine chainsaws running which for a fire just under two acres is quite a few saws,” Ward said. “The helicopter was dropping water and MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and extra fuel for the saws. They were also doing some bucket work for mop up.”

Ward said considering the amount of lightning from the storm last Monday, July 7, the amount of fire in Mineral County was light. He did say if the weather stays hot and dry, conditions could change and that would require raising the level of fire danger.

“It’s cooled off a little bit but it’s supposed to warm up again,” Ward said. “The predictions say we might see some moisture Tuesday or Wednesday. As far as fire danger, it’s highly probable we will be in very high fire danger if the weather stays hot and dry and windy. The wind really helps dry fuels out.”

Ward said the second fire on Lookout Mountain was smaller than the Neu Ridge Fire and only required two firefighters to contain. It was declared out on Wednesday. Ward said three trees were on fire but due to the lack of surface fuels on the forest floor, firefighters didn’t have to chase a moving fire.

“There was the potential for more but overall it was a fairly routine week,” Ward said. “We were on relatively high alert because with the conditions the way they are we need to catch them early. There is a good potential for fire growth right now.”