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Montana

Escaped Fire Fully Contained

September 2008

Firefighters at the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana contained an escaped prescribed fire on Monday, September 22. The burn was initially lit on September 9, but escaped containment lines when a cold front passed over the area three days later, bringing strong gusty winds with it.

The fire moved across the lines burning primarily in the brome grasses. It burned deep into the soil in a thick layer of dead grasses that had accumulated over several decades without fire in that area. This situation has required extra work for firefighters, as hot embers and ash burning deep underground need to be fully extinguished to ensure the fire is out.

The burn was lit in a high mountain valley to improve wetlands used by geese and ducks. In other parts of the valley which have recently burned, many more birds, moose, elk, deer, and antelope have arrived to browse the fresh vegetation. Fire typically stimulates plant growth by recycling nutrients back into the soil, providing a natural fertilizer.

The refuge staff is planning to burn more areas over the next several years. Future burns will rely on barriers such as streams and roads as containment lines to prevent escapes. 

The refuge, located in southwest Montana, offers a unique setting surrounded by steep mountains reaching 10,500 feet. The remote area offers secluded habitat to a variety of species including trumpeter swans and white-faced ibis, as well as providing pristine streams for native fish.

Prescribed burn spreads outside of planned area on remote refuge, causing no damage.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages public land in every U.S. state and territory, including 547 national wildlife refuges and 69 national fish hatcheries.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 75 million burnable acres, including 24 million acres of forest/brushland and 4 million acres of grassland.

More than 50% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in the continental U.S. (and more than 90% in Alaska) include fire-adapted ecosystems with vegetation dependent on periodic fire.

An average of 500 wildfires burn 260,000 acres each year on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. The Service also burns about 300,000 acres a year using prescribed fire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual fire program budget is approximately $80 million.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs more than 530 permanent fire professionals, along with 270 seasonal and temporary fire employees during fire season.

More than 3,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees are qualified to assist with wildland fire management on an interagency basis.

The U.S. Fish and Wildland Service Fire Management Program protects more than 700 communities and wildland-urban interface areas.

Historically, an acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind an ox in one day. This measures 90% of a football field. There are 640 acres in a square mile.

More than 90% of the hazardous fuels reduction by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completed using prescribed fire.