Agencies Fight Fire Near Bone Trail
Multiple agencies coordinated to battle a fire south of Glasgow over the weekend, according to a press release From Valley County Long Run Fire Department.
The statement included: “At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, [July 21], Fish and Game wardens reported seeing smoke near Bone Trail. Mutual aid was immediately requested from CMR based out of Fort Peck. Our local BLM ranger notified BLM dispatch out of Lewistown. While crews were en route, Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer was able to get eyes on the fire via airplane. This greatly improved our response time giving us a precise location, estimated size and terrain.”
CMR responded with a type 4 engine, said the statement. The Pines responded with a type 6 engine and another type 6 engine responded from Long Run.
The fire was in very steep terrain with heavy timber involved, mostly on private land with a small section being CMR owned. Initial fire attack efforts began immediately. CMR requested assistance from a helicopter due to parts of the interior being inaccessible. Several loads of water were dropped prior to nightfall and partial containment was achieved.
CMR released crews from the Pines and Long Run around 9 p.m. July 21, but they stayed to monitored the scene all night. A crew from Long Run went back to the scene Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. to assist with firefighting efforts. Water drops from a helicopter have continued throughout the day and a CMR crew from Miles City is en route to assist. This incident was labeled the “Ewe Fire,” measuring approximately 13 acres with no further fire spread expected. It was estimated to be 100 percent contained by Monday.
“Quick actions from all entities involved prevented this from becoming a much larger scaled event,” said officials from Long Run. “The mutual aid agreements in place are such important factors in our firefighting efforts.”