The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Reporter's note: Readers would have been hard pressed to miss the coverage of the recent July Fire that burned 11,000+ in the Little Rockies near Zortman and Landusky. The fire was discovered on Monday, July 3 and by the evening of July 4 it was estimated to have burned 1700 acres. Various fire fighting agencies began a major attack to control and contain the fire. Finally, on Saturday, July 15, the Western Montana Type II Interagency Incident Management Team (IMT) declared the fire "90% contained" and turned fire control back to the local agencies first involved.

My wife, Sherry, and I were in Landusky the Sunday after the July 15 Final Fact Sheet was issued about the July Fire. The daily fact sheets are issued via the internet to keep firefighters, agency managers, media and the public informed about the status of each major wild fire. My wife preached at the Prairie Church that meets in the Landusky Community Center and the fire was very much on the minds of the locals who attended the service.

We learned about the evacuation of Landusky and residents shared how indebted they were to the firefighters for saving their town. The firefighters left notes expressing their appreciation for the kindnesses shown them by the town's 20+ residents. Here's a summary of the July Fire and its impact on the area around Landusky.

A short history of the mining camps around Zortman and Landusky

Prospectors first began looking for gold in the area in the 1860's but it was not until 1890 that Pike Landusky and Bob Ormond discovered a rich vein of gold near Zortman. The town was named after Pete Zortman and at one point the town of Zortman boasted 2000 residents. Landusky was also enjoying a bit of a boom from mining interests during that period.

In 1936 a major wildfire tore through the Little Rockies and destroyed most of the mining facilities. Just over a decade later, the major boom was over as many mines shutdown in the late 1940's. Much of the mining area has been reclaimed and some water monitoring, from the old processing plants, is still going on. Actual mining, except for hobbyists, is over.

Landusky has become a bit of a summer town, with several out of state folks building or buying homes in the area that they use only in the warm seasons. We met two ladies at church who were from Washington state. Bob and Ree Ragsdale still maintain a summer place there, though they live most of the year in California. Campgrounds near both towns are destination locations for summer time campers.

The July Fire quickly grew to a Type II level wildfire

Because of dry and hot weather and difficult terrain, the July Fire quickly developed into a major incident. After two or three days the Western Montana IMT group was called in to manage the firefighting effort. A fire calling for a Type II incident management team is not the most dangerous or largest wildfire, but it is serious enough for a team that can call on more than just regional resources when required.

The afternoon it was discovered the fire was attacked with 11 engines, one water tender, four air tankers, three helicopters and eight smokejumpers from West Yellowstone. At the height of the fire more than 400 firefighters from Montana, California, Virginia, Idaho, Utah and Georgia were in the Little Rockies. Medics came from a number of states as well.

Fire officials first worried that Zortman was in danger and would require an evacuation. Turns out the firefighters were able to control that fire. Things got very tense as the fire came into the Landusky area, resulting in an evacuation that began at 10am on a Thursday with residents not allowed back until 10am of the following Saturday.

Phillips County Sheriff Scott Morin's office handled the evacuation. Locals said they were very impressed with the level of communication that the firefighters and law enforcement officials maintained throughout the emergency, keeping them informed and updated about threats and conditions. Sheriff Morin said, "We were about a half hour away from evacuating Zortman at one point, but the firefighters stopped the advance." Most of the evacuees went to stay with friends, neighbors or relatives for the time they had to leave the town.

Driving along the one gravel street that goes through Landusky and up to the mountains, there was scorched grass and trees where the fire came in to town. At a couple of cabins, up the mountain just out of town, the undergrowth and duff had burned and trees were seriously scorched.

No major structures were lost as a result of the fire. Retired Chinook dentist Dr. Dan Harry and his wife, Peggy, own a cabin up the road that goes through Landusky. Peggy said by phone, "We were in Iowa visiting when the fire occurred. Neighbors in the area kept us informed of how things were going, but we haven't been down to see if there is damage. We do know our outhouse burned down. I guess it could be worse." Residents repeatedly praised the firefighters for saving their property and for protection by the Phillips County Sheriff's Office. Landusky summer resident Bob Ragsdale added, "You could tell this was not their (fire managers) first fire. They knew what we needed to know and kept us well informed."

Fire aftermath and establishing a cause

While loss of property was minimal, the effects of the July Fire will be felt for some time. One longtime resident in Landusky said, "Some of the scars of the 1936 fire were finally healed. This fire has left its mark on the forest and terrain." The fire mainly affected the southern end of a 60,000-acre area of mixed timber on Bureau of Land Management lands.

Two BLM camping grounds were inaccessible for a time, because of firefighting equipment and personnel, but were not permanently affected by the fire. Both Montana Gulch near Landusky and Camp Creek Campground in the Zortman area are open for campers. A spokesman at Buckhorn Cabins and RV Park in Zortman said they were open for business as well. He added, "Two-thirds of the area was not affected by the fire. We still have plenty of space for exploring and recreation."

Denise Helm

This photo, of the backyard of a cabin just outside Landusky in the mountains, shows how close the fire came to the house and environs. A Blaine County couple who own a cabin in the Landusky area lost their outhouse and some items around their yard to the fire.

Jonathon Moor, Public Affairs Specialist for the BLM's Central and Hi-Line District said, "We are calling the fire 95% contained. There are likely still some hot spots that may take several weeks to die out." He added that specialists were currently evaluating trails and recreation areas to see if they could be reopened in some areas that burned. At present the only permanent firefighters keeping watch on the area are the 10 summer firefighters that work out of the BLM's Zortman Fire Station.

As to cause of the July Fire, locals were saying it might have been some irresponsible use of fireworks by some people panning for gold. Moor, speaking for the BLM, would not confirm or deny that theory. He said, "We are pretty sure the fire was human caused and it's under investigation."

Now things are getting back to normal in that part of the Little Rockies. Phillips County Sheriff Morin summed it up pretty well, "I hope we never have to do it again. But it's a long, hot, dry summer still ahead of us."