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BY DIANE EDWARDS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG EDWARDS
Farmers, Ranchers, Volunteer Firefighters Unite to Stop Losses
Fighting Fire,
Neighbor to Neighbor
Fighting Fire,
Neighbor to Neighbor
armers cutting near Big Sandy last harvest parked
their combines hours before sunset – not to rest the
weary or ease stressed machines but, at 103
o
and 7
percent humidity, as well-worn caution against igniting
tinder-dry fields. Each new summer, memories of
wildfires past – lightning-caused or sickle-sparked –
keep farmers and ranchers in northcentral Montana
on edge and fire ready.
During red-flag months, Montana's ag producers
obsessively check around operating machinery and
scan their horizons for smoke. Any sound of thunder
amplifies the anxiety among those on watch. To be
better prepared, many routinely review their firefighting
capabilities each spring – and during pre-harvest in
particular – fully expecting to respond
to fire at one or more neighbors.
F
Fire caused by faulty
wiring and last year's
extreme-low humidity
quickly spread to round
bins holding grain and
a large unoccupied
farmhouse, as overtaxed
firefighters protected
the farmer's more
valuable assets.
