Lightning strikes spark several small fires

ARLEE - A violent, windy thunderstorm struck the Mission Valley Friday evening, felling trees and tangling branches amongst dangling electrical lines.Despite the intense bolts, fire crews were able to contain several small fires and remove fallen trees from downed power lines.

"We responded to six calls within the last 24 hours," Polson Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Maloney said on Saturday.

Mission Valley Power responded to the 1,000 block of North Crow Road just before midnight where a mature pine tree split halfway up the trunk, blocking the road and hanging up on a power line. Ronan Volunteer Fire Department crews sawed it up after the power company secured the lines.

A lightning stike from Friday night's fire smoldered until the early morning hours Saturday in the Big Arm area on Walking Horse Lane. Polson Volunteer Fire responded, and the Division of Fire sent one engine to extinguish the fire within a few hours.

Two helitack crews joined the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation crews to put out a lightning fire in the Jocko Lakes on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The fire was limited to one-tenth of an acre.

About 4 p.m. Thursday, the Division of Fire sent one of its helitack crews to Melita Island Lane, where an older burn pile flared up in afternoon breezes.

"An old burn kicked up and it was burning the underbrush and spread to the trees. It was burning before burn permits were lifted," Matt said. "A ton of people showed up, and it burned about two acres," Curtiss Matt explained, fire prevention specialist for the tribes.

The helicopter had just returned from Lake Chelan, Wash., where its crew had been working on a large forest fire. The chopper was actually responding to a call to the Welcome Springs fire when it was diverted to the Melita Lane area.

Landing in the meadow near Camp Marshall, two crew members hooked up the bucket and set it to carry 260 gallons per load. The chopper quickly flew over to the lake, scooped up a load of water, then dropped it on the fire. The round trip from lake to fire took less than five minutes. Four or five water drops enabled ground crews to control the fire.

The Welcome Springs fire caused concern due to snags in rough timber about four miles south of Hot Springs last week, but the location did not threaten residential property. The fire was lightning caused and required helicopter support.

"We had a medium helicopter dropping water on it and two big 500-1,000 contract tenders supporting that," Matt said.

That fire was contained Friday.

Fires were also doused near Dixon and in the Big Knife area east of Arlee over the weekend.

Although firefighters have been kept busy, crews are stationed around the reservation to quickly respond.

"The fires have been initial-attacked early," Matt said. "If we let them go, we probably would have a major fire going."

When is fire season over?

"Well, there's a date on the calendar, sometime in September, that says 'it's over,' and you put down your shovel," Matt said with a hint of good-natured sarcasm. "As of last year, the only thing that declared it out was when we got two feet of snow in the middle of November that put it out."