Fire burns near Laredo

A 200-acre fire lit up Laredo southwest of Havre Saturday night, Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Chief Josh Bebee said this morning.

His department received the call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night about the fire, which was started by a lightning strike.

Bebee said his department sent out five units in response to the fire, and Kremlin and Box Elder’s volunteer departments assisted with extinguishing it.

Bebee added that the fire was put out within five hours.

Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeremy McKellar said no structures were involved in the fire.

Kremlin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kody Peterson said his department responded about 10:45 p.m. He said the department sent one truck and two firefighters to assist. A lot of support also came from local farmers and ranchers helping to provide water, he said.

Peterson added that they were “blessed with the wind,” in that there was very little of it, so the fire didn’t move very fast.

Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Grass said his department had received the call at 11 p.m. Saturday. He said his department sent five trucks and nine firefighters to respond to the call.

Grass said that he was “thankful to everyone that showed up,” adding that the departments worked well together and the local farmers and ranchers help assure the fire was not going to get worse.

“It was a community effort,” Grass said.

Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator Dave Sheppard said with the amount of dry grass in that area keeping the fire contained to 200 acres was incredible. Time was on their side, Sheppard said, given that it was during the night and weather conditions were favorable.  

Sheppard said that there have not been many fires this year. Most in Hill County this year have been machine-caused, with sparks coming off of equipment or the equipment running too hot, he added.

Bebee said the area has not seen any other fires recently.

West Liberty County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jason Wanken said Liberty County had a fire recently caused by a fallen power line. The fire burned five cares off of Montana Secondary Highway 223 near the Marias River two nights ago, he said. He said the department responded to the fire quickly and efficiently, extinguishing the fire after a short period of time, adding that many people in the area showed up to help.

Blaine County Sheriff Glenn Huestis said his county has seen 16 fires since May but nothing major, all fairly small.

Two fires each burned a few acres last week, one caused by a swather and the other’s cause not known.

“We got fairly lucky last week,” he said.

Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation announced Friday it was implementing fire restrictions, something Hill and Blaine counties and the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation already had done.

On Rocky Boy, fires, campfires and stove fires are prohibited except in permanent fire pits or fire grates within developed recreation sites and when using portable stoves, lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, pressurized liquid fuel or a fully enclosed sheepherder type stove with a 1/4-inch spark arrestor-type screen.

Smoking is banned except in 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 material.

Operating a chain saw is banned unless it is with an approved spark arrestor and a shovel and fire extinguisher present.

Welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame is banned except in cleared area of least 10 feet in diameter with a fire extinguisher present. Using explosives also is banned.

Some exemptions exist, the release about the ban said.

Thursday, Hill and Blaine county and Fort Belknap Indian Reservation put Stage 1 fire restrictions in place and Hill County enacted a burn ban on Beaver Creek Park.