Blaine County goes to Stage 1 fire restrictions

Havre Daily News staff

Blaine County is one of four counties in the region going into Stage 1 fire restrictions, with four fires hitting the county already this month.

Blaine County Commissioner Frank DePriest said they are urging people to be cautious with fireworks as well.

He said a grass fire on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation on Father’s Day, June 18, spread to and destroyed a storage building and some vehicles.

Wednesday, another grass fire on the reservation burned about 500 acres, and another fire Wednesday night destroyed an empty residence on Fort Belknap, he said.

Twenty round bales of hay stored at the agency for the bison at the reservation also burned in a recent fire.

Stage 1 fire restrictions start Friday at 12:01 a.m. for Blaine, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Valley counties, and the Fort Belknap government has ordered Stage 1 restrictions for all tribal land on the reservation, which is in both Blaine and Valley counties.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 office has elected to ban all campfires from fishing access sites except for the Bear Paw Lake fishing access site in Hill County.

Stage 1 fire restrictions apply to campfires and smoking, a release announcing the restrictions says. Under Stage 1 restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire except within a developed recreation site, fire ring or improved site.

• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

Exemptions to the above Stage 1 prohibitions include the following:

• Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.

• Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device.

• Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.

• Any federal, state or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.

• All land within a city boundary is exempted.

• Other exemptions unique to each agency/tribe/jurisdiction.

Fireworks are prohibited on all state and federal lands.

Hill County Commissioner Mike Wendland said no restrictions are planned at this time in Hill County, although that is looked at week-by-week.

“Right now, we look pretty good,” Wendland said.

DePriest said the restrictions in Blaine County also are looked at every week, but it would take quite a bit of moisture at this point to make much difference in the conditions.

“This grass is really drying up,” he said.