HUNGRY HORSE – With tools and gear strapped to their backs, three firefighters began a 32-mile trek deep into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Monday morning. But this wasn’t a recreational trip.
As fires continue to burn deep in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, firefighting crews are spending long hours in the backcountry, faced with the unique challenges associated with protecting remote structures in a wilderness area. These crews are made up of firefighters such as the three members of Engine 71 from the Hungry Horse Ranger District who hiked in on Monday.
Clear skies this past weekend gave officials from the U.S. Forest Service a better view of the fires that started two weeks ago. As of Monday morning the Big Salmon Lake Fire had burned 4,100 acres of forest and the Hammer Creek Fire had claimed 5,100 acres. Both numbers jumped significantly over the weekend because aerial surveillance was able to get a better picture of the burned area.
Because parts of the Flathead National Forest are designated wilderness, the Forest Service avoids using modern tools such as chainsaws or even helicopters in an effort to reduce the effect of humans on this protected area.
“We need to use manual and traditional tools if we can,” said Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow. “That’s part of (our) wilderness ethic and a responsibility we have as managers.”
Rather than using modern means common on most fire lines, firefighters working in the wilderness use old crosscut saws, axes and backpack pumps, tools which were standard issue five or six decades ago. Even though it can be challenging, firefighters like Dan Muir enjoy it.
“I love it,” he said. “You get to be back in a remote place using the tools you have.”
Respecting the wilderness also means that firefighters usually hike in. Muir, Engine 71’s captain, wasn’t making the trip Monday but said it would take the three members of his crew two days to hike the 32 miles.
Mucklow said they use traditional methods as often as they can, but in some cases she gives firefighters permission to use things like chainsaws or helicopters when the situation warrants it. The safety of crews is the number one concern, she said.
As of Monday two other fires burned in Northwest Montana. Near Swan Lake the South Fork Lost Creek Fire had burned 1,589 acres and near Libby the Ariane 2 Fire, which started late Friday afternoon, had burned 210 acres. A total of 140 personnel were assigned to the fire and the cause was still under investigation.