Local fire crews douse structure fire

A structure fire at the former Jolly Pack Rat, south of Polson on Hwy. 93, last Friday was contained by fire crews from Ronan, Polson and the Polson Rural Fire District.

According to Polson Rural Fire Chief Gordon Gieser, the temperature was 4 degrees when firefighters responded to the blaze, which they were able to confine to a single second-story room and its contents. Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the local ambulance service were also on hand, although no injuries were reported.

While Gieser said the department is still wrapping up its investigation, the fire appeared to have been started in an effort to heat the space during last week’s cold snap.

House fires are more common “when it’s really cold and when it warms up and people don’t make adjustments,” he says, such as turning off heaters that were used to thaw pipes. That was the only structure fire his crew responded to during the cold spell, which saw temperatures dip below zero.