$2 million price tag on Gravel Pit Fire

Putting helicopters in the sky and fighting wildfires does not come with a small price tag.

At a community briefing on the Gravel Pit Fire Tuesday evening in Happy’s Inn, Incident Commander Ken Parks said the estimated cost for fighting it was about $2.2 million.

“But it could drop to $1.5 million once we know everything,” Parks said.

Parks took over the 304-acre blaze Sunday, Aug. 6. When the fire will be one crews can put in their rearview mirrors is anyone’s guess, but it’s currently 35% contained.

“We’re still hoping to catch every fire we can, but we’re not going to let this one go until we’re sure there’s no threat,” Parks said.

The fire, as alleged by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, began on the evening of Aug. 1 when a transient man from New Jersey, 39-year-old Joseph Anthony Eutsler, started the fire to gain the attention of law enforcement because his van had broken down.

Eutsler is being currently being held on $250,000 bail in the Lincoln County Detention Center on one felony charge of arson.

One person asked if law enforcement was going to do anything about transient people who are in the area.

In response, Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short said his office had contact with Eutsler before the fire, but didn’t elaborate further.

The fire burned northeast of its origin at the old gravel pit site located off U.S. 2 near Silver Butte Road. While southwest winds helped the fire burn away from some of the homes located in the vicinity, crews feverishly put in lines to keep residences protected. But the proximity of the blaze still caused some anxious days for area residents.

Christy Leopold at the Manicke Homestead shared on social media on Aug. 4, “Too close to home doesn’t even begin to describe it. We’re praying that our cabin stays safe from flames. We feel immensely supported and grateful for the fire crew that came out like an army to ensure the preservation of our property that has been in the family since 1910. Truly grateful and persevering.”

Fisher River Valley Fire Rescue Chief Kirk Kraft, who worked the fire 24 hours a day from the beginning with crews from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, said it’s his department’s job to do structure protection.

“We’ve been monitoring 20 residences since it began,” Kraft said. “We’ve had help from the departments in Marion and Libby and we’re very thankful for our volunteers and the DNRC crews.”

A resident asked how officials knew where private residences were located.

“The sheriff’s office has a real good database and the fire department utilizes what the county has so we know where everyone lives,” Kraft said.

The sheriff’s office said it served evacuation notices to residents.

Short also urged residents to sign up for the CodeRED system.

“It’s the most reliable way to reach people if an evacuation is necessary or other emergency notifications, such as missing child alerts,” Short said.

To join the database, go to https://lincolncountymt.us/, scroll to the bottom and click the CodeRED box. Cell phone users can text “LCEMA” TO 99411 to enroll.

In other local fire news, the Libby area had several new fires Monday evening after several lightning strikes. According to the Kootenai National Forest, 11 new fires started with seven on the Libby Ranger District, two on the Rexford Ranger District, one on the Three Rivers Ranger District and one on state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation land.

Forest officials said all fires remained under one-half of an acre with the majority now contained and crews continuing with line construction and mopping up.

Most notable were the fires on Swede Mountain, but they were quickly brought under control.

Fire crews continued to respond to more smoke reports on Tuesday and Wednesday and more fires are anticipated due to the lightning storms passing through the area.

According to state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Northwest Land Office, a new fire started north of the Gravel Pit Fire. Crews responded to the Fritz Mountain Fire with helicopters aiding in the suppression with water bucket drops to minimize growth. It is now listed as out.

The one-half acre Olson Creek Fire was located southwest of U.S. 2. Helicopters dropped water on the fire in steep, rugged terrain. It is listed as contained.

Monday's storm also brought rain to the area, which fire managers described as beneficial. Rain also fell in some places late Wednesday night.

The biggest fire on the Kootenai National Forest is the East Fork Fire on the Fortine Ranger District.

It’s listed at 1,376 acres, but rain on Monday helped slow the growth over the past two days.

Weather forecasters say day-time high temperatures across Lincoln County are expected to rise into the mid-90s by Sunday and stay between there and 100 through next Wednesday.

Officials say people who see smoke or a fire should call 911.

The fire danger remains at extreme and stage 2 restrictions remain in place.

Also, the Kootenai National Forest can be reached at 293-6211 and 283-7635. The contact number of DNRC is 406-247-0514.