Early Season Fire Burns More Than 300 Acres
A grass fire that was likely ignited by a blown tire saw area fire departments dispatched Thursday afternoon. Mike Olson told the Community News that the Culbertson Volunteer Fire Department was paged at 3:21 p.m. March 20 to a fire between Brockton and Fort Kipp “It’s before the spring green-up,” Olson said. “Before everything turns green, we can have some pretty big fires.”
CFVD set up structure protection for one residence and established a perimeter of observation on the west side of Fort Kipp.
In all, 327 acres burned, with no structures affected and no injuries.
“The last engine was back in Culbertson by 8 p.m.,” Olson said.
CFVD was assisted by departments from Brockton, Fort Kipp and Poplar, as well as Bainville and Froid. Traffic at the scene was managed by Fort Peck Tribal Law Enforcement and the Montana Highway Patrol.
CFVD members were back in the area Friday checking on possible rekindles.
A burn was also reported along U.S. Highway 2 across the state line Sunday afternoon. Traffic was redirected as North Dakota crews fought to contain a limited grass fire west of Williston.
Area residents are advised that early season fires are common this time of year. The nonemergency number for Roosevelt County dispatchers is 406-653-6230. A new online reporting system for contacting dispatch is under development. Olson said he hopes to see the system up and running in April.
