1-90 Complex threatens homes & major powerline in Montana
STORY & PHOTOS BY JUSTIN DOMBROWSKI
On Aug. 4, approximately 20 fires ignited along 50 miles of Interstate 90 in and near Alberton, a small town west of Missoula. The fires, termed the I-90 Complex, raged for more than two weeks, and at one point forced three firefighters to deploy their fire shelters. They were not injured.
Crews hike out to their next assignment after building fireline and
burning out the line to secure the bottom of the West Mountain Fire at
Meade Ranch.
Fanned by hot, dry weather, four of the fires burned independently for many days, while the two largest fires, the Tarkio and the West Mountain, merged and burned more than 10,000 acres.
The fires threatened 415 homes, 600 outbuildings, 15 commercial structures and one major powerline. The severity of the fires prompted officials to close I-90, a major rail link and a heavily rafted stretch of the Clark Fork River.
At the peak of firefighting operations, 1,050 people, 40 engines, 10 helicopters and 20 pieces of heavy equipment (mostly dozers and excavators) were assigned to the complex. Firefighters contained the many fires on Aug. 17.
To secure the gap between the Tarkio Fire and the
West Mountain Fire, crews tie a 1,000-acre burnout
into the Clark Fork River.
Top-Priority Fires
Because of the sheer number and intensity of the fires, the I-90 Complex quickly became the country’s top priority for wildfire management. As such, the Northern Rockies Type 1 incident management team (IMT), under the direction of Bob Sandman, took over primary management of the Complex.
Local resources, mostly under the jurisdiction of the Frenchtown Rural Fire District and the Lolo National Forest, were able to contain all but four of the fires; the Type 1 IMT finished containing these fires, while a Northern Rockies Type 2 IMT came in to finish controlling the fires.
The Complex impacted both Mineral and Missoula counties, and law enforcement and emergency services organizations were heavily involved from start to finish. In total, 10 cooperators worked together on the fires, complicating interagency cooperation, which was effectively mitigated through a liaison officer assigned to the IMT. Cooperators included representatives from the Montana Department of Transportation, three electric companies, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, the Missoula County Department of Emergency Services, the Montana Highway Patrol, the Red Cross and the Plum Creek Timber Company.
The Complex was such a concern that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer visited the area, as did U.S. Senators Conrad Burns and Max Baucus and State Forester Bob Harrington.
Safety Concerns
Firefighters had to create safety mitigations to address many factors, including evacuations, rattlesnakes, limited safety zones, the Montana rail link located along the fire path, major utility lines and the steep, narrow roads. Additionally, because I-90 is a major artery for traffic in the state, and firefighters needed to access this route during fire operations, fire officials had to create safety mitigations that addressed the interstate.
During the initial onslaught of fires, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and law enforcement closed I-90 completely; once the fires were partially controlled, they opened one lane and slowed the speed limit to reduce the number of hazards created by drivers slowing down to watch the fire burn.
Fire officials called for evacuations and initiated safety measures for working near a major powerline. Sandman adds that they also closed a 20-mile stretch of river to rafters so helicopters could access the river for filling buckets. “I’d just as soon not pick up a fisherman and transport him out to the fireline,” he says.
Despite the fact that firefighters and officials logged more than 225,000 hours of work, 400 flight hours and 225,000 miles driven, there were only three minor injuries. One injury involved an allergic reaction to a bee sting, prompting an extensive mountain rescue. Fortunately, the medical support team had high-angle rescue equipment and trained personnel on site—a rarity at fire camps. They completed the rescue in just hours.
Additionally, on Aug. 10, the Tarkio Fire took a major run, tripling its size in one day. More than 60 firefighters staged in a preidentified safety zone, as firefighters along much of the fire’s perimeters were pulled into other safety zones. However, two dozer bosses and one dozer operator were unable to make it to a large safety zone with their heavy equipment, forcing them to deploy their fire shelters to avoid a shower of embers and heavy smoke. They first improved a large turnaround, placed the equipment in the center and deployed their shelters in front of the dozer blade to reduce radiant heat impact. They stayed in the deployment zone for several minutes, emerging safely to find the only damage done was to their fire gear.
Major Threats
The fire also threatened the 1 million-kW Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) powerline, which supplies electricity to much of the Western United States. Because of the national concern for the powerline, the Type 1 IMT was dedicated a heavy airtanker for the incident—something that rarely, if ever, happens on a fire. Airtankers and helicopters pretreated areas in front of the powerline to reduce fire intensity and long-term damage from carbon buildup. Fire Information Officer Pat McKelvey explained the contingency plans to protect the powerline. “Part of the contingency plan would be that if the fire would make a run toward the powerline, the retardant would be used to slow the fire growth,” he says. However, on Aug. 10, a mile-wide stretch of the fire tripped the powerline, effectively shutting it down for two days. Fortunately, the BPA was able to transfer power from other grids, thus limiting any power outages to users.
Firefighters also had their hands full protecting private property, as well as valuable timber on private and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land. Because the intensely burning Tarkio Fire was burning toward the West Mountain Fire, firefighters conducted a large burnout operation to join the two fires, reducing threats and safety concerns for firefighters working in between them. In the process, firefighters anchored around a small ranch at the base of the mountains and burned approximately 1,000 acres.
Fire Facts
The four largest fires ultimately burned 11,245 acres. Of this, 2,838 acres were on Lolo National Forest land; 6,036 acres were on land owned by Plum Creek, a private timberland owner; 1,135 acres were on Montana state land; and 1,236 acres were on private property.
The Tarkio and West Mountain fires burned 10,990 acres; the Fish Fire, which burned between I-90 and a frontage road, burned 155 acres; and the Alberton East Fire, which burned through parts of Alberton, burned 100 acres and destroyed two outbuildings, including a 7,000-square-foot garage that contained antique vehicles.
The fires burned through a mix of vegetation types, including grassy areas that burned in 2000 and areas with ponderosa pine. In the higher-elevation areas, the fire burned through mixed conifer of larch, Douglas fir and lodgepole pine; however, many trees in this area were already dead from a mountain pine beetle infestation. Further, many areas of the Plum Creek timberland included untreated, heavy slash, greatly increasing the fires’ intensity and complicating firefighters’ attempts to secure containment lines.
The energy release component on the Lolo National Forest was above the 97th percentile, as lack of winter snowpack, ongoing drought conditions, minimal rain in July and a hot, dry weather pattern added to the strength of the fuels and the fires’ intensity. Further, firefighters faced temperatures in the 90s, humidity levels in the teens and poor humidity recovery most days and evenings.
Successes
One of the major successes that came from the I-90 Complex involved firefighter training. Specifically, 58 trainees worked the fire; 45 percent of them were able to obtain final sign off for certification with their home unit.
Firefighters were also able to conduct several tests while working on the Complex. Specifically, the Lolo Hotshots tested different eating habits by eating smaller amounts of food throughout the day, rather than eating three meals per day, to see how it would affect their strength on the fireline. The testing also addressed a different type of military food ration, in conjunction with the Department of Defense and the University of Montana. (Final test results have not yet been released.) Further, a fire behavior group tested heat-sensing equipment during some of the burnout operations.
Other successful aspects of the I-90 Complex include:
· A liaison officer helped coordinate the many agency representatives, as well as the local, state, federal and private partners involved.
· Fire officials implemented a strong structure protection plan and wildfire mitigation around some home sites.
· The fire shelter deployments acted as a strong learning experience, as IMT personnel made presentations in camp, and groups (including safety officers and the Type 1 IMT staff) visited the site to learn from the experience.
· Mountain rescue specialists equipped with their gear provided much needed care to injured firefighters on the line.
· There was a limited number of injuries, considering the terrain, fire activity and number of firefighters working the Complex.
Complex Conclusions
Laura Mark, assistant special agent for the USFS and an investigator on the case, addressed the cause of the fire. “From everything we are finding, it is almost implausible that the I-90 fires were started by arson,” she explains.
Mark believes the Complex was started by pieces of carbon flying off a vehicle’s catalytic converter or from a diesel engine with a bad valve. The reason: The fire starts were at sporadic intervals, with several fire starts close together separated by long stretches between the clusters.
As the complexity of working a major fire complex like this increases, so does the need for firefighters and managers to operate at the top of their game. The Complex proved the need for highly experienced and trained firefighters and supervisors, as well as the need for strong coordination with local officials. In the end, no lives or homes were lost, the powerline kicked back into gear and firefighters made it home safely, ready for the next assignment.
Justin Dombrowski can be reached at dombrowskij@gmail.com.
The Missoulian contributed to this story.
