The Bobcat Nation

According to most reports I have seen the yearly moisture numbers are below normal again. How has the fire season been this year?

There is a fairly big one going on over in Columbus. I believe it is around 2500 acres.

We just had a huge rain storm come through Helena with a lot of thundering and lightening! Dropped a half inch in a matter of minutes. The hills around Helena are real dry. The trees are way too stressed from years of drought. Pine Beetles are doing a number on them. If you ever go over Fletcher Pass (hwy 279 NW of Helena) most of the trees are turning brown! One strike and it will be real ugly! Some nice homes up in those mountains that don't have a chance.

There was a major fire just up past Skyview in Billings last night that threatened some houses. It blew up very fast and quick (although we had 55-75 mph winds) for abour 30 minutes too. It was crazy.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... tfires.txt

CARDIAC_CATS wrote:There was a major fire just up past Skyview in Billings last night that threatened some houses. It blew up very fast and quick (although we had 55-75 mph winds) for abour 30 minutes too. It was crazy.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... tfires.txt

You live in the Heights, too? I'm off Babcock/Governors area.

EDIT: He's not lying about the wind, only about 10-15 min worth, but it was wild. Almost like a small tornado came thru.

Billings_Griz wrote:

CARDIAC_CATS wrote:There was a major fire just up past Skyview in Billings last night that threatened some houses. It blew up very fast and quick (although we had 55-75 mph winds) for abour 30 minutes too. It was crazy.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... tfires.txt

You live in the Heights, too? I'm off Babcock/Governors area.

EDIT: He's not lying about the wind, only about 10-15 min worth, but it was wild. Almost like a small tornado came thru.

Yep, I live on Aquarius Place (going down Senators). Yeah, 1/4 of my fence blew downis from that wind. That was easily a good 15 minutes of sustained 45+ mph winds (with gusts of 75-80).

A couple of friends of mine who live in Ennis were lfoating the Madison yesterday and said the MSU AG Expirment station at Red Bluff burned up!
I guess a small shed caught on fire, and it spread to the older stone building, then to an adjacent house. He also siad it burned a couple of acres of grasslands. Too bad!

bobcatgrad2005 wrote:A couple of friends of mine who live in Ennis were lfoating the Madison yesterday and said the MSU AG Expirment station at Red Bluff burned up!
I guess a small shed caught on fire, and it spread to the older stone building, then to an adjacent house. He also siad it burned a couple of acres of grasslands. Too bad!

I heard that and that is really too bad. Red Bluff, the location of the Ag experiment station, was once a mining camp. Around Bozeman, it is still very green, but with the heat and wind that have been around for the last few days, it will probably dry out very soon. The rest of the state seems to have dried up and that won't be good for fires.

Well, I know what the problem is now. Some arrogant ignoramus from OUT OF STATE informed me that all those fires in western MT are started by disgruntled loggers.

Don't worry, I called my dad and told him NO MORE FIRES!

Eureka area had a good, wet spring/early summer. But now all the growth is drying out so there will be some good fuel under the canopy. It's been hot and windy there lately too.

Here's the Chronicle's take on the Red Bluff Fire.
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articl ... 0stone.txt

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... rdin_g.txt

This year’s explosive fire season has taken a quick toll in Eastern Montana, torching more than 225,000 acres over the last week and sending plumes of hazy smoke across parts of the state and into the Dakotas and Wyoming.


Pretty unbelievable. The interstate was even closed for a short time period between Waco and Custer on Thursday evening I think.

Well, it was definately hazy today in Bozeman; the air smelled like smoke. I really do not like fire season....