Fire still roaring
<p>Polson resident Daniel Smith took this picture of the West Garceau fire tearing through field in the Irvine Flats area. Smith's family homesteaded in the area in 1910.</p> <p> </p>
<p>This map shows the state of the fire on Monday, Aug. 20. The area depicted is about 15 miles west of Polson. Red lines indicate active fronts. Black lines represent perimeter firelines.</p>
<p>A Single-engine air tanker (SEAT) plane dumps a red cloud of retardant on the West Garceau fire. Air drops such as this one are able to slow the fire's rate of spread, allowing crews time to establish firelines.</p>
<p>This 10-second exposure shows the red glow of The West Garceau Fire burning Tuesday night near Big Arm.</p>
<p>Hilly terrain, unpredictable winds and dry vegetation have made the fire difficult to fight.</p>
<p>A pillar of billowing smoke stains the sky off of Picket Road near White Earth Creek.</p>
Scorching the hills of the Salish Mountains approximately 15 miles west of Polson, the West Garceau fire stubbornly continues to defy suppression after more than a week of activity.
First reported on Monday, August 13, the fire captured headlines across Northwestern Montana last week as it mushroomed from a modest 40-acre blaze to over 9,000 acres in size within little more than 48 hours of starting.
The blaze initially commanded the attention of numerous local fire agencies before firefighting duties were handed over to an Incident Management Team from Northern Idaho, led by commander Rick Kusicko.
Though fire damage has surely levied a steep cost to some local ranchers, fortunately no firefighters or civilians have sustained any fire-related injuries.
Last Tuesday, 15 inhabitants of the Irvine Flats area west of Polson were evacuated due to the encroaching flames and spent the night in the Big Arm Fire Station. They returned home the next morning after fire crews were able to save their residences.
In the week since, no more homes have been directly threatened, and no further evacuations have been necessary.
CSKT Division of Fire Chief Curt Matt said it has been one of the more complicated fires that he’s dealt with in recent memory.
“This fire’s been squirrelly. They couldn’t predict its behavior because of different fuel types,” Matt said.
Besides varied fuel types, erratic winds also factored into the equation, with gale-force gusts of up to 40 mph fanning the flames in every direction last week. At one point, firefighters reported clocking wind-blown flames spread across an open field at speeds of 25 mph.
“It’s a difficult fire. There was no set pattern to it,” Matt reported.
Jennifer Costich, Public Information Officer for the West Garceau Incident Management Team, said that by this Monday evening, the fire covered an estimated 9,431 acres and was 55% contained.
In a debriefing statement released online, the Incident Management Team reported that, “crews and equipment, with critical support from air operations, continue to make great headway establishing containment lines around the fire. Heavy fuels and steep terrain continue to hamper suppression efforts, especially along the southern flanks of the fire.”
In total, 294 ground personnel were involved with the West Garceau fire as of Monday night.
But, with growth potential classified as “high,” and an unfavorable weather forecast of strong winds and thunderstorms, there is still no end in sight for those fighting to contain the fire.