Cooler weather, rain still in forecast

Havre Daily News staff

Though the rain that had a chance of falling in the area had not done more than spit a bit by this morning in Havre, some had fallen in the Bear Paw Mountains and cooler temperatures and a continued forecast of likely rain could help the firefighters working on the East Fork Fire.

National Weather Service predicted a significant chance of rain today — 60 percent — and a chance of rain through Saturday and a chance of showers then turning partly cloudy Saturday night.

National Weather Service’s Mesonet station on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation reported a tenth-of-an-inch of rain had fallen there by 9:20 this morning, although only a trace had fallen in Havre.

Temperatures are expected to remain much cooler, with highs at or near 50 degrees and lows in the 30s to 40s today through Saturday, before a predicted high of 67 Saturday.

The fire, which started near the East Fork Reservoir on the reservation Aug. 27, eventually spread to 21,816 acres in Hill, Blaine and Chouteau counties including a flare-up Friday near the intersection of Clear Creek and Sucker Creek roads that burned close to another 400 acres before being contained later Friday.

The incident information page, last updated three days ago, lists the fire as 85 percent contained.

The Hill and Blaine county health departments have posted on their Facebook pages that the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will reimburse rostered volunteer fire fighters and critical need private equipment used on the East Fork Fire that burned in Hill and Blaine counties, and both counties will assist people in completing required paperwork from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Chinook Fire Hall and St. Jude Parish Center in Havre.

People who can’t attend those meetings need to have their completed paperwork to either the Blaine County DES office or the Hill County DES office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, the posts said. No paperwork will be accepted after that date.

Reimbursement of critical need private equipment is limited to bulldozers, 1,000-gallon or greater water tenders, tractors, and road graders, the posts said. CNP equipment is eligible for reimbursement only when the equipment was used across lands of multiple ownership. CNP equipment operated solely on an individual’s own property will not be reimbursed. CNP equipment owners need to provide proof of ownership — registration, insurance and title. The DES office will work with the respective local fire chiefs to verify work performed. The local fire chief will verify CNP equipment and dates to be reimbursed.

Rostered volunteer firefighters will be reimbursed for work performed and will need to bring two forms of identification — a photo ID such as driver’s license or any other photo ID, a social security card or birth certificate, or a passport, the posts said. Anyone seeking reimbursement through this process will be required to complete the state of Montana hiring package. The DES office will work with the respective local fire chiefs to verify work performed and dates to be reimbursed.