Montana's National Disaster page 4

May 18, 2001 Wildfire containment expected by Sunday

Crews have contained 50 percent of the 2,900-acre Twin Coulee Fire burning forest and grasslands on the eastern slopes of the Big Snowy Mountains, fire officials said Thursday. Sparked by lightning Monday, the fire was spread east and south by high winds for two days before firefighters were able to establish a break around the blaze with bulldozers. About 300 firefighters are at the scene, said fire information officer Marilyn Krouse.

“The goal for today is to hold the line and mop up any hot spots within 100 feet of the edge of the fire,” Krouse said. A fire command team consisting of officials from Golden Valley County, the Bureau of Land Management and the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is coordinating the firefighting efforts. Officials said they hope to have the fire contained by Sunday evening. An evacuation order for residents in the area was lifted Wednesday. No homes or structures have been damaged, and no injuries have been reported.

Red Hill Road from its junction at East Red Hill Road to the Fergus County line will remain closed until the fire is contained.The fire started on public lands and burned on the Twin Coulee Wilderness Study Area before moving east onto private lands about 30 miles north of Ryegate. Fire officials have described forest conditions as extremely dry for this time of year.

June 1, 2001
Crews, air tankers attack Garfield County fire The Associated Press
BRUSETT (AP) — Firefighters hoped to contain a 150-acre wildfire by Thursday night, that was burning through grass and timber in Garfield County. The fire, started by lightning Tuesday night, was burning on Bureau of Land Management land and private acreage northwest of Jordan, said Dena Sprandel, a BLM spokesman in Miles City.

No buildings were threatened, Sprandel said. She said that about 70 firefighters, including volunteers and ones from the state, Bureau of Indian Affairs and BLM were on the scene, in rough, steep terrain. Sprandel said that three aerial tankers were called in, along with a helicopter.

“It’s looking really good today. We do have a red-flag warning for high winds and low relative humidity,” she told KMTA radio in Miles City.

High and dry: Moisture level sinks to record low June 2, 2001

A precipitation record was blown out of the water in May. The mere 0.34 inch of precipitation that fell here in May knocked aside the 1993 mark of 0.40 inch. The 0.34 inch established a record for the least rainfall in May since a weather station was established at Billings Logan International Airport in 1934.

“This record really stands out,” said Rick Canepa, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Billings. “It’s really something to take the wettest month of the year on average and come out with so little precipitation. It definitely goes into the record books as establishing quite a dry month.”

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With sales slow in the concession stand Sunday afternoon at Cobb Field, George Prchal, 13, took to the stands with coffee and hot chocolate in an effort to warm up fans who came to watch an American Legion baseball game between Billings and Great Falls teams.

George did not have much luck, after the game was called in the second inning when heavy rains hit. He is the son of Curt and Diane Prchal.

June 4, 2001

Rare phenomenon comes to Montana June 4, 2001

A rare gift appeared in the driveway of the T Bar J Ranch in Molt Sunday afternoon. “We have puddles,” said Amber Nordahl. “We haven’t had puddles for a long time.” An intense storm left behind about one-half inch of rain in many parts of the state east of the continental divide Sunday afternoon. “The storm that went through gave us more rain in 20 minutes than we got in the entire month of May,” said Kurt Hooley with the National Weather Service in Billings.

The same storm dumped a foot of sticky snow in areas near Butte and Helena, causing widespread traffic disruptions and power outages. The NWS issued a heavy snow advisory and winter storm warning for much of Western Montana. The Butte airport and passes along Interstate 90 near Butte were closed part of the day Sunday.

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Montana firefighters gain on lightning-caused fires 7/31/2001

Crews and slurry airplanes Monday gained the upper hand on lightning-caused fires burning on U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands in south Phillips County.

Two of three fires burning in the area were declared contained Monday at 6 p.m., according to Craig Flentie, a BLM information officer with the Lewistown-area dispatch center.

News was also good from firefighters battling the 60-acre Whiskers Fire, burning about 15 miles south of Big Timber. The fire was 80 percent contained by sundown Monday.

“They got a good handle on it today,” said Julie Shea, fire ecologist for the Gallatin National Forest.None of the fires threaten any buildings or private property.

The largest fire in the state, the Castle fire, burned 2,000 acres Sunday in the rugged Missouri Breaks area north of Fort Peck Lake. The fire was 70 percent contained Monday night and was still estimated at 2,000 acres, all of which is BLM-owned land.

“Our hand crews and engines did a great job today and built a significant amount of fire line that held well,” Incident Commander Brad Sauer said. Because of the remote, rugged terrain, the fire has moderate growth potential, BLM officials said. Containment is expected Wednesday evening. About 150 firefighters remain at the blaze.

The 50-acre Monument Peak fire, three miles north of Landusky, was declared contained Monday night. The 350-acre Killwoman fire, located six miles east of the Castle fire, was also contained Monday night. Throughout the day Monday, two heavy bombers and three single-engine transport planes were dispatched from a loading station in Jordan to drop retardant on the blazes.

Crews will continue to patrol the fires, but many of the firefighters have been sent to battle fires near Yellowstone National Park, BLM officials said. Flentie also said there were a series of smaller fires of less than an acre through the same area and south of the river on Friday. Landowners and federal firefighters contained the fires, he said.

One tanker drop and quick work by smokejumpers smothered a one-acre fire spotted south of Big Sky late Monday afternoon, Shea said. The fire was spotted in a remote patch of timber about 12 miles south of Big Sky. The fire was declared contained at 7:30 p.m.