by John Hamilton
Don’t let yourself become, or be the cause of, another incident while watching wildfires.
That’s the message being delivered by Sanders County fire control officials this week.
Though this area is not under a wildfire siege like the Bitterroot Valley currently is with multiple lightning-strike starts and the ongoing Gash Creek fire, the fires that have started around here have caused some problems well off of the fireline.
Of major concern to folks like Rick Cavill, the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District Assistant Fire Management Officer in charge of suppression, are not only the firefighters working these fires but also the safety those people who are watching, or trying to watch the fires.
As helicopters busily work fires with bucket drops and retardant planes make spectacular drops, people have been creating a hazard for themselves and others while trying to watch these air shows. And therein lies the problem – people are losing track of where they are and what they are doing when enthralled by helicopters and airplanes and other fire control tactics.
In the process of watching, they are putting themselves and others in very real danger by illegally parking, slowing traffic down by watching the action while driving or just plain getting in the way of control efforts. Cavill would like people to think before they attempt to watch a wildfire-response effort in action.
“A pickup truck ended up rolling over as a result of the driver trying to get a better look at one of our fires a few weeks ago,” he said. “He ended up pulling over too far and having a rollover. We do not want people to put themselves, or others in danger by gawking at a fire.”
That incident outside of an incident happened on the Rocky Point fire southeast of Plains earlier this month. As the human-caused fire was being initial attacked, a curious driver pulled over to watch and eventually rolled his rig.
The fire was near River Road East on the south side of the Clark Fork River. On the north side of the river, where Highway 200 is located, besides the pickup that rolled over, several other motorists slowed almost to a stop and a potentially dangerous situation was created. And further fire response actions could have been hindered.
Similarly, Montana DNRC Fire Supervisor Calvin Minemyer said two accidents occurred on Highway 28 near a fire that started and was squelched there several weeks ago. “It can quickly become a highly dangerous situation, for people driving the highway or for the fire control personnel,” he said. “You’re not paying attention to everything and the potential for something bad happening really rises in a hurry.”
Cavill preaches common sense to avoid these types of situations.
“Find a safe spot off the road at a safe distance from the fire because things can sometimes happen in a hurry in a wildfire situation,” he said. “Pull off in a place that is safe to park, not in tall grass or something else that could ignite, and watch from there. Please do not drive while watching the fire, if you must watch, please stop driving, but not right in the middle of the driveway.”
Another place to use extreme caution is when motorists drive right through, or very close to fires in progress.
“Watch for the firefighters and other people working on the fire first, look at the fire second,” Cavill said, “and please try to stay away from fire engines and aircraft. Firefighter and public safety are our top priorities.”
The Rocky Point fire was measured at 7.25 acres and has been placed in patrol status.