Volunteer Fire Department Keeps Busy

On Friday, July 28th, the Meagher County Fire Department was paged to report to a fire early in the morning. Lightning could be seen dancing across the sky the night before, as many festival goers attended the street dance to kick off the weekend. However, the lightning was a party crasher and the local volunteer fire department had a bright and untimely awakening the following day. At 6:30 am, the Meagher County fire department quickly made their way out to a fishing access spot located along the Smith River after a flame was called in. On scene, a small burn could be seen ablaze. According to Jake Kusek, the Meagher County Volunteer Fire Department Chief, the flames only charred about one tenth of an acre. The fire was quickly contained by the department and put out efficiently. A tree in the fire's surroundings was seen with a prominent. mark from where it has been struck by lightning. The small crew of volunteers left around 9:30 am after ensuring that the fire was completely extinguished. On the fire team’s way back into White Sulphur Springs, they were paged to yet another fire. This time, the burn was located somewhere in the Little Belts. However, not long after, it was discovered that this burn was located on US Forest Service ground and was under control. Meanwhile, another fire was reported outside of White Sulphur Springs at Lingshire. The volunteer fire department squad then headed out to this fire after the initial call around 10:30 am. Yet again, the direct cause of this burn was lightning. Similar to the fire at the fishing access the same morning, this minor fire burned around one tenth of an acre. Grass, plants, and timber in the surrounding area were this fire’s main fueling factor. With the amount of fire danger that is apparent in Meagher County at this time, a no open burn policy has been temporarily enacted. This means that Meagher residents are prohibited from burning trash, slash, or any other type of debris. In addition, no burn permits are being given at this moment. Campfires are still allowed in a small campfire ring. However, fire safety is still more important than ever. Keep all campfires well contained, never leave a fire unsupervised, and make certain that it is entirely smothered before departing from the location. Pictures provided by Jake Kusek.