The region’s season length was normal, but fires burned triple the average acres

Firefighters light a backburn near McLeod, Mont. on, Sept. 6, as crews try to contain the Derby Mountain fire, which at that point had burned 185,000 acres. Thick black smoke temporarily stalled aerial firefighting efforts a day earlier, though ground crews were still able to make gains on the blaze. (AP Photo/ James Woodcock)

In some ways, it was a normal fire season across the Northern Rocky Mountain Region, while in other ways it wasn’t so normal—and it could have been a lot worse.

The first fire, the Trout Creek Fire, occurred on April 14 on the Custer National Forest in North Dakota and burned 185 acres. But the fire season didn’t get rolling in the region until around July 4, at which point it ran nonstop through mid-September—the norm for the Northern Rockies. The region bumped up to preparedness level 4 on July 19, then ramped up to level 5 on Aug. 23. The level dropped back down to 4 on Sept. 15. The number of firefighters assigned to fires in the region peaked at 3,750 on Aug. 13.

"There were sprints of activity that would ramp up and mellow out," says Colleen Finneman of the Northern Rockies Coordination Center (NRCC). "It didn’t seem like it was nonstop action, with new large fires happening every day. There were peaks and valleys."
 
Still, with 949,704 acres burned, this year’s fires scorched almost triple the 10-year average of 325,850 acres. There were 3,380 ignitions, about 450 more than the 10-year average. Lightning caused 1,748 ignitions, while humans caused 1,632.
"The season was normal in its duration," says Kathleen Elzig, the NRCC manager. "But it was abnormal in that it encompassed all of the Northern Rockies. It’s unusual to have fire in every area of the region throughout the summer."

There was good reason for the regional proliferation of fires, according to Mike Kreyenhagen, the meteorologist for the NRCC’s predictive services. "Weather was the primary driver," he says. "We had just about record heat and dryness in July, with strings of days with temperatures over 100 degrees. It was the second hottest month on record, only behind 1936. We had normal amounts of lightning, and the fuels were so receptive."
What saved the Northern Rockies from turning into one giant inferno was the work of initial-attack crews. Of the 3,380 starts, only 105 fires escaped to more than 100 acres. Still, some big ones got away, as is bound to happen. Smoke-filled skies ranged from eastern Montana to western Idaho, and from the Canadian border to Yellowstone National Park.

The Gash Fire
Set by an arsonist on July 24, the Gash Fire burned about six miles southwest of Victor in the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana. Erratic winds pushed the blaze across 200 acres the first day, through dry fuels in mixed conifer forests loaded with lots of dead and downed timber. Reminiscent of the fires in 2000, flames soon threatened several homes; a hotshot crew, four engines and a Type 1 helicopter raced to the scene.

Variable winds continued to push the fire over the next couple of days as flames made aggressive uphill runs, tripling the burn area in two days. By that time, 163 people were assigned to the fire.

On July 28, a cold front brought strong winds that stimulated aggressive runs and spotting on the fire’s west and north perimeters. By day’s end, the burn area had expanded to 1,650 acres; almost 400 firefighters now worked the fire. The crews faced rocky, broken terrain, which made it difficult to transport water and support line construction.        

The flames continued spreading in the ensuing days, forcing the evacuation of three homes. On Aug. 1, the fire was about 40 percent contained near the valley end, but steadily moved toward a wilderness area to the west that was virtually inaccessible. As the fire spread to 2,400 acres, crews laid hose and primed pumps along the northern perimeter to fight it head-on in the Sweathouse Creek drainage.    

A thunderstorm blew through the area on Aug. 4, sending downdrafts over the fire and causing spotting on the north side of the Sweathouse Creek drainage. Throughout the night, warm, gusty winds helped the fire expand to 3,100 acres.

Thunderstorm systems again moved through the area on Aug. 8 and 9, causing the fire to spot over the creek high up onto the north slope, just east of the wilderness boundary. Managers sent crews to contain the north side of Sweathouse Creek drainage, utilizing the bucket work of helicopters to cool the upper spots so the crews could enter.
By Aug. 11, the fire ranged across 4,5000 contained to the Glen Lake basin in the Bitterroot Wilderness Area. Night rain and higher humidity allowed crews to cool down hotspots and tie in lines to natural anchors and road systems. But strong and gusty winds in the day quickly dried out the fuels.

On Aug. 14, fire spotted over the 1321 Road and spread into Smith Creek. Managers pulled crews off the fire. That afternoon a water tender ran off a road on a route used to withdraw firefighters. Fortunately, no one was injured in the crash, and managers located an alternate route.

The next day, the Sheriff’s Department placed nine homes under State 1 evacuation notifications as the fire perimeter continued to back down the Smith Creek drainage. That evening, the fire made a major run into and down the drainage, increasing the burn area by more than 1,000 acres.

Relief finally arrived from the clouds on Aug. 16, when widespread rain dropped approximately 0.3 inches in the area, allowing ground forces to aggressively attack the fire in places where it threatened homes.

On Aug. 19, crews and helicopters continued making good progress on the firelines outside the wilderness boundary. Three days later, the fire made more runs, causing some long-range spotting into the Big Creek drainage and the unburned northern perimeter of Smith Creek, east of the 1988 Glen Lake burn. The fire now encompassed 7,800 acres.

The Gash Fire had spread across 8,500 acres by Sept. 16, when rain and cold weather finally shut it down. As crews planned to rehab the exterior lines, accountants added up the firefighting costs: $6.6 million.
 
Derby & Jungle Fires
The biggest fires of the season burned in southeastern Montana, about 15 miles south of Big Timber. Together, the Derby and Jungle fires ultimately scorched 232,927 acres.

The lightning-caused Derby Fire started Aug. 22 in mixed conifer forests choked with dead and downed fuels, and burned through occasional grasslands and meadows; the Jungle Fire burned just a few miles away. Many homes and ranches lay scattered throughout the area, as well as the Stillwater Mine, the largest employer in Montana. With the area under a red flag warning and experiencing a Haines Index of 6, the 100-acre Derby Fire took off. In two days the fire expanded from 100 acres to 3,000 acres.

By Aug. 24, the fire had spread across 8,000 acres, and headed toward structures in the Trout Creek and Meters Creek drainages. By this time, 16 engines had moved into position. The next day, the fire more than doubled in size before scattered showers slowed it down. Two Type 1 crews and four Type 2 crews arrived on the scene, bringing the total firefighting force to 213 personnel.

 On Aug. 30, officials reported that the fire had not only entered roadless, steep terrain, but was also sweeping across rangelands dotted with ranches and homes. Lookouts reported major crown runs and plume-dominated fire activity on all flanks. The flames spread so far that managers requested aerial reconnaissance for areas that lacked adequate promontories for lookouts. Helicopters also began dropping water to protect structures.

As night fell, the fire had already spread to 40,000 acres, but northwest winds reaching 30 mph kept pushing the flames throughout the night. Managers pulled back the crews to safe areas. The following day, the flames continued out of control, eventually spreading to 156,000 acres and destroying 26 homes and 20 outbuildings.

On Sept. 2, an unanticipated three-mile fire movement brought the total acreage to 160,767. On Sept. 4, group torching, sustained runs, spotting and creeping on the west and southwest flanks increased the fire size to 178,400 acres. Crews scrambled to protect structures in East Boulder. The number of personnel assigned to the fire had now grown to 924.

Four days later, the fire broke the 200,000-acre mark and established itself in steep, heavily timbered areas in the bottom of Enos Creek, where there were no roads. That evening, crews conducted a successful burnout to secure one division perimeter and laid 10,000 feet of hose to support another possible burnout. More than 1,000 personnel worked the fire.

Finally, on Sept. 15, rain arrived. Lookouts reported smoldering and creeping fire under the forest canopy in the morning, with little or no fire activity in the light fuels. Officials reopened closed roads. The Derby Fire had scorched 208,000 acres; the Jungle Fire burned approximately 25,000 acres.

 The following day, officials lifted all evacuation orders, as up to two inches of rain fell on the fire throughout the afternoon and evening, with snow falling at elevations above 6,500 feet. By Sept. 26, the fire was 95 percent contained at a total cost of $21 million for
the complex.
 
Hughes 32 Complex
In northern Idaho near the Canadian border, about 10 miles north of Nordman, lightning ignited a fire on Aug. 10 that quickly spread in cedar, hemlock and subalpine fir. Spotting and torching on the steep slopes, the fire made uphill runs. The next morning, lightning ignited two more blazes in the area, as the Hughes East Fire spread to 75 acres. Located in a thermal belt, the fires continued to burn at night. By afternoon, managers had pulled the two Type 1 crews to safety zones as the fires spotted across the Canadian border. Initial reports set the acreage for the complex at 265 acres; 69 firefighters were on the scene.

By Aug. 25, the complex had expanded to 934 acres. No roads cut through the steep, rugged terrain that was choked with a heavy fuel load, which made for long walk-ins or helicopter deliveries. Lookouts reported increased torching in the afternoon on all the fires. Meanwhile, the Hughes 32 Fire burned down to within 200 yards of the Salmon River bench, threatening old growth trees. Managers reported Hughes 32 at 160 acres, Hughes East at 605 acres, the Plowboy Fire at 167 acres and the Border Fire at 2 acres.

By the end of August, the complex had spread to 1,611 acres, but rain and cooler temperatures slowed the flames. On Sept. 4, the fires spread and began to threaten power lines, caribou habitat, the Little Snowy Top Lookout and unique vegetation in ancient cedar groves. The last remaining woodland caribou herd in the Lower 48 roams the area; the herd is listed as endangered and is jointly managed by the United States and Canada. The burn areas now covered 2,163 acres.

 On  Sept. 8, firefighters working the west side of the Hughes witnessed torching and backing down, with spotting in the unburned area between the two fingers. The east side also saw torching, spotting and small runs that pushed the fire toward the Little Snowy Lookout. Spotting also occurred on the west side of the ridge in the Salmon River headwaters of the knob between the Big Snowy and Little Snowy mountains. The Plowboy saw torching along the edges, with some interior burning. Firefighters constructed a 3/4-mile stretch of handline down the south flank. On the north flank, fire still spotted outside the containment line. Altogether, the fires now covered 3,628 acres.

The next day brought light showers and cloud cover. On Sept. 20, managers pulled the crews from the 4,368 acres of charred landscape. The total suppression costs rang up at $2.6 million.
 
Mark Matthews is a freelance writer living in Missoula, Mont. He is a former USFS seasonal groundpounder on the Lolo National Forest.