Wildfire Season has Begun!

Saturday morning Spring arrived at 11:23 am. A few hours later, wildfire season began in Northern Jefferson County when Montana City VFD was paged to a wildfire on Holmes Gulch and Timber Lane. A controlled burn got out of control when forecasted winds hit the area. The final size of the burned area was just under three acres.

About 30 minutes into the response, MCVFD was notified by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department of another controlled burn out of control, this time on the east side of Montana City. Leaving two crews of firefighters to mop up the first fire, the rest headed off to fight this much larger, running grass fire – approximately six acres by the time MCVFD arrived. Clancy VFD and Eastgate VFD were called to provide mutual aid.

Fortunately, the wind blew the larger fire back on itself, assisting with containment. By the time it was all over, this second fire was about 10 acres. While the landowner had turned on his water, the pipes had burst over the winter so none was available for him to fight the blaze when it first spread.

MCVFD Fire Chief Rick Abraham would like to remind citizens “who plan to burn that even thick, grassy slopes can dry out in about an hour – be sure to check the area in which you are burning for ground moisture before you begin. If it’s dry, the danger is high for a wildfire. It doesn’t take much for an ember or two to get a large grass fire running in high winds.

Also, stay tuned to the weather forecast. Both fires were safely controlled in the morning before forecasted winds arrived in the afternoon and drove the embers into dried grass. It’s important to continually check back on the weather forecast for changes.”

Typically, humidity drops as the day goes by and with the sun high in the sky, grass dries quickly. It also carries fire quickly. Before you burn, be sure to have water, shovels, rakes and a cleared space of a few feet between the area you plan to burn and grassy areas.

Nearing the fire on Holmes Gulch Rd.


Upon arrival, firefighters saw flames heading into the grass in many directions.


Firefighter Lyle Hill mopping up a hot spot


Left to Right: Lt. Lyn Stimpson, Asst. Chief, Ken Kluth, and Firefighter Larry Alheim reload pre-connected hose on Engine 2.