Road to recovery

IRVINE FLATS — The West Garceau fire is finally contained, but for Jack and Jane Clapp and other ranchers in the Irvine Flats area west of Polson, the damage is done. Where once amber waves of grass stretched across their property, blackened fields remain.

The Clapps and their neighboring ranchers were some of the property owners most directly affected by the devastating West Garceau fire. Initially sparked about eight miles to the west of their land, the fire ripped across the dry countryside and practically to their doorstep within just 24 hours of starting.

Luckily, the Clapps’ home was never in grave danger, as, in firefighting terms, there is lots of “defensible space” surrounding their dwelling comfortably distanced from trees, tall grass and other flammable materials. However, the two farmers immediately to the west of their land, whose homes are built amongst groves of trees, had to be evacuated for one night while fire personnel stood vigil on their property and managed to save the structures from burning.

Now safe, the Clapps and their neighbors are left to pick up the pieces and quickly develop a strategy for how to manage their scorched land. Of the Clapps’ 1,500-acre Heart of Sky Ranch, Jack estimates that the fire “probably impacted close to two-thirds of it.”

They, and some others in the area, lost almost all of their fall pasture upon which their cattle soon would have depended. The grass was not the only thing of value that went up in smoke, as timber, hay bales, fences and other resources were also engulfed by the fast-moving flames.

“Everyone out here lost a huge amount of fence. Miles of fence,” Jack said while considering the cost levied by the fire.

Though erecting a new fence will come at a steep price and will be “the biggest out of pocket loss,” Clapp adds that for now, the pasture may be the larger concern, because “you can’t replace the grass ‘til next year.”

While his 150 cattle typically would have grazed for sustenance throughout the fall, as a substitute, Clapp has to resort to feeding them a protein supplement.

“We’ve never done that before,” Clapp said of the new and expensive feeding method. “That stuff runs $700 to $800 a ton.”

The issue of feed is especially critical in the late summer and fall, because Clapp says that, “this is the time of year that we hope our calves gain weight.”

“I think in terms of the impact of the fire on the ranchers in the area will be several hundred thousand dollars [total]. The loss of timber, the loss of fence, having to buy additional feed or grass… Nobody wants to lose a building, but those are insured. The grass and the fence are not,” Clapp said in his overview assessment of local fire damage.

“Hopefully we’re going to get some kind of assistance from some agencies,” Jane added.

Jack, however, seems to have tempered his expectations for receiving aid.

“Whether emergency aid is available or not, resources will be spread thin,” he said, alluding to fires and drought in Eastern Montana and other parts of the country that have already demanded much financial assistance from the government.

Though adversely affected by the fire, the Clapps’ demeanor is one of admirable, forward-looking resiliency, and not one of bitterness or regret.

As Polson firefighters themselves, the Clapps certainly recognize the hard work and bravery of the crews that helped minimize fire damage throughout Irvine Flats.

“The fire was wind-driven and had a half-mile wide fire front,” Jack said, recounting the spectacle. “We had numerous resources here from Polson Fire, Ronan, Finley Point and of course Tribal Fire made a huge contribution, but with the wind, you just couldn’t stop it and hold it.”

The Clapps expressed optimism that the grass will come back strong next year, noting that the fire was moving fast enough that it did not generate tons of heat. In fact, close inspection will reveal the occasional green blade sprouting up from the charred earth, indicating that the root system remains healthy in many places.