The Flames on the Plains

It seems like yesterday I was writing about the intense fires in Central Kansas known as the Starbuck Fire and the year before that it was the Anderson Creek Fire, but those were in April.

Picture taken by Tammy Shawver of Eli Murnion helping neighbors.  All other pictures were taken by Eli himself.

Today, it is the Lodgpole Complex of fires.  There are FOUR separate fires burning that started due to dry lightning strikes.

Map from the Garfield County Rural Fire Department Facebook Page.

These fires have occurred where few people live.  I mean everyone keeps saying that it is near Jordan, Montana.  Jordan has a population of 343 people according to Wikipedia.  That is not a town that handle an influx of volunteers to fight a fire easily.  I know when the fires were raging this spring, the towns had a hard keeping up with supplies especially fuel and food.  

I have never been to Montana, but my friend Tracy has and she shared some amazing pictures of the scenery at the bottom of this post called It's a Wrap.  Tracy was also an amazing resource today as I attempted to get permission to share the pictures in this post.

We in rural America have learned over the years that when they are few people involved, the media tends to not cover the events as fully as those near cities.  This is a fire that is nearly 300,000 ACRES!!  THAT IS HUGE!  Ranches have been completely wiped out. Unlike the Kansas fires which occurred earlier in the spring, there isn't anything green for the cattle to graze or wait out the fire in safety.  April fires in Kansas meant that there were scattered wheat fields for safety of animals and people.  July fires in Montana in the middle of a drought means everything is dry, mature and extremely flammable. 

These ranchers need help.  We know government assistance is going to take time, but those surviving cows can't wait for the government.  They need something to eat yesterday. The cowboys, horses and dogs need a break.  I had so many friends including my own husband who went to help friends during the fires in Kansas.  They need someone to run a feed truck, to help gather supplies and hopefully tell hay trucks where to unload hay.  

If you don't have hay to donate, you can always donate money to buy hay, to buy fuel for the trucks hauling hay or to buy meals for the truck drivers who often donate their time to get hay where it is needed.  We had friends who donated much to all of the above.  

Dawn Haughian contacted me today with a list of things they need. Below is the list she sent me and another avenue is to go to the Montana Stockgrowers Association who has a fund set up to help in times like this. This Spring I remember Zeorian Harvesting sharing lists of things that could be purchased online and picked up at a local store.  I noticed on this list that one of the local stores is willing to take credit card donations to help people pay for supplies and to help feed volunteers.  

This isn't going to be easy for the area to recover.  Many producers had already been selling cows due to the fact that there wasn't the grass to feed them that they needed before the fire.

FOR FIRE SUPPRESSION ASSISTANCE:

***It is essential to call before coming to the fire to aid in suppression efforts. We are only accepting these volunteers from a limited basis and highly experienced individuals.***

· TEXT Anne Miller with name, experience and contact info: 406-853-3610

HAY, TRUCKING AND CATTLE FEEDING COORDINATION:

· Jana Hance, Redwater Valley Bank: 406-485-4782

Call Jana and let her know what you have to donate OR what you need.

· Miles City – Bart Meged 406-951-3005 & Misty Meged 406-951-4840


FENCING DONATIONS (Labor and Materials):

**If dropping off, please call ahead!!**

· Sand Springs drop-off and volunteer coordination: Call/Text Travis Brown at 406-671-8088.

· Jordan drop-off: Please go to Lammers Brothers on the 97 Highway 200 East North side of Jordan 406-557-2356. Please call ahead during business hours to arrange

FOOD/FIRST AID/PERSONAL DONATIONS: (Recommended: On the go foods, travel size toiletries, fruits)

· Jeana Stanton 406-230-2217

· Sherlie Hains 406-230-1672

· Ryan’s Grocery in Jordan. Also accepting credit card donations over the phone 406-557-2744


CASH DONATIONS:

Checks can be made to Garfield County Fire Foundation c/o Garfield County Bank PO Box 6, Jordan, MT 59337 (406-557-2201) or send to Circle c/o Redwater Valley Bank, PO Box 60, Circle, MT 59215 (406-485-4782). NOTE: Applications for Short term and long term funds can be made to Garfield County Fire Foundation and will be distributed by their board. Call the Garfield County Bank for more info.

· Cash and credit card donations for fuel are accepted at Farmers Union Oil / Cenex in Jordan at 406-557-2215

· Cash and credit card donations are accepted at the Sand Springs Store 3198 Highway 200W (Sandy Gibson - 406-557-6144)
· Cash and credit card donations for fuel are accepted in Winnett at 221 W Main St. (Beth Hoverson)

FIRE AREA DROP-OFFS:

**Please have drop-offs occur between 9am and 5pm**

· Jordan: VFW Hall

· Sand Springs: Sand Springs Store (Sandy Gibson) 30 miles west of Jordan on Hwy 200. **Small Drop-offs Only**

· Winnett: B&D Gas Station 221 W Main St. (Beth Hoverson)


SURROUNDING AREA DONATION COLLECTION POINTS:

· Baker: DES Alycia Conroy

· Big Timber: Sweet Grass County Fairgrounds – 7/26-7/28 (Lydia Sargent 406-223-0688)

· Billings:

o Joy Global at 1124 main Street. Drop-off between 6:30am and 4:00pm. (Gerard Murnion406-200-5511)

o NILE office Metra – Sending horse trailer load

o Western Ag Reporter accepting donations as well (Contact Linda Grosskopf)

o Supplies accepted at Border Steele 406-377-4398 or 1-800-423-5219

· Bozeman: KB Building Supply shop at 8256 Huffine Lane.

· Bridger: Town and Country Supply Crystal 406-662-3623

· Circle:

o Circle Sherriff Office

o CHS

o Ryan Ketchum Trucking gathering pallets of barbed wired, bundles of steels & ties, water tanks, also collecting money to purchase supplies. He is coordinating with the following businesses to come pickup in those towns and deliver to Jordon. Contact Ryan Ketchum 406-853-1131 or Erin at 406-974-2059.

· Forsyth: Rosebud County Sherriff Office

· Glasgow: Haylie Shipp – 406-853-0483

· Glendive:

o AgPro Solutions 1028 N. Anderson, Jesse at 406-939-3088

o Border Steele 406-377-4398 or 1-800-423-5219

· Grass Range: Little Montana Truck Stop

· Joliet: Copper Willow Salon, Jasper at 406-647-9879

· Lewistown: Fergus County 4-H Ambassadors are accepting donations at the Central Montana Fair contact Jennifer at 406-366-1677

· Miles City:

o Miles City Livestock – 406-234-1790

o Murdoch's is offering discounts on fencing supplies and gathering donations and coordinating delivery (Call Linda Hardwood 406-232-3422)

o Ace Hardware

o Cowtown Ag

· Sidney:

o Sidney Livestock (7/24 only)

o Reynolds Market

· Scobey:

o Farver Farms north of town 406-783-7113

o Reeverts Fencing LLC: 406-487-2362 accepting monetary donations for fencing supplies by phone


Northern Ag Note:

It is essential that you contact the team leads above before showing up to help or donate.

Donation collection points will continue to be updated. To supply additions or changes to this information please contact Courtney Brown Kibblewhite at ckibblewhite@northernbroadcasting.com (406-698-6932).

Thanks Ursa, Now What?

Today, I am going to ask you to use your imagination.  Do a little daydreaming with me it you will, please?

Imagine, you have this awesome job.  The one you have always wanted, BUT there is a small drawback.  You only get paid once a year when you have completed all the tasks.  You still have to pay all your rent, groceries, utilities, OH and HEALTH INSURANCE is on you, too.

Now imagine, you are less than two months from pay day and something happens out of your control.  Something that could affect your paycheck drastically, but maybe not.  You may get 50 percent of the pay promised, or all, but you need to wait two weeks to find out.  How would the stress level in your household be?  What backup plans/funds do you have in place to take care of your family until the next paycheck comes along?

Friends, this is what the wheat farmers in Western Kansas, Eastern Colorado and the Panhandle of Oklahoma are dealing with.  Their wheat crop was so, so close to providing a paycheck for them and BOOM! the winter storm comes from out of nowhere on April 29th and Poof! there may or may not be a wheat check this year.

Many agronomists are saying it will take up to two weeks to see if the cold weather really affected the wheat or not.  Remember, we drove through the area shortly after the roads were cleared.  It was ugly. 

SEVENTY MILE PER HOUR WINDS had laid electric poles on the ground.  Can you imagine what it did to a thin spindly wheat stem?  Acres upon acres of wheat was laying flat on the ground.  One person I talked to who had walked into many fields said the wheat was almost always broken off or severely bent.  It is hard to believe that any of the plants will stand up again.

And then there were the TEMPERATURES. Once wheat has headed out (the wheat head has emerged from the stalk), temperatures below 28* for more than a few hours is detrimental...as in the head or parts of it do not produce grain.  Some of these fields were under snow and ice for more than a few days.

So, these farmers have paid the rent on the farm ground that they farm, if they don't own it.  If they do own the land, they have paid their property taxes.  They have been paying their family bills AS WELL AS the seed, fuel and fertilizer for the wheat crop.

Now the "experts" are telling them it will take two weeks to decide if they wheat crop is really lost or not.  Now, that may not seem like much to you, but what if the wheat crop is lost and they can put it up for hay?  Hay that would be much higher quality NOW than if it matures further.  What if they want to plant corn?  Corn that would be better served to be in the ground now, so that it can mature properly before the hot, dry weather of August sets in.

Sure crop insurance will help, but do you know how crop insurance works?  Your crop insurance coverage is a percentage of the last TEN YEARS crop history.  You get to select the percentage level of coverage.  Let's remember as my friend Nebraska Wheatie tells us that Western Kansas has been in drought conditions for the last SIX years and just got out recently.  The last six wheat crops haven't exactly been busting the seams on the grain bins.

Our friends in the path of Winter Storm Ursa need a lot of prayers. Prayers for speedy answers.  Prayers for the weather to cooperate better than it did last weekend.  Prayers for their mental health.  I have shared about farmers and mental health issues before and right now, these guys are in a tough situation.

If I know one thing about farmers, it is that they are resilient.  They know how to roll with the punches that Mother Nature gives them.  They know how to squeeze household living expenses out of nothing and then seem to find a way to put another crop in for next year. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the farmers going through these tough times.  We know that things will work themselves out somehow.  My thoughts are also with the custom harvesters who depend on having a wheat crop for their paychecks.  Everything is totally out of their control until they pull into a field.  I asked Nebraska Wheatie to share some of her thoughts on what is going through her mind this week and she is concerned...yet, hopeful.  Just like the Ranchers who dug out and continued on after the South Dakota early fall blizzard, and those that have recovered from the Anderson Creek and Starbuck Fires, they will continue on....it won't be easy, but they will continue to produce food for those that forget they even exist in the flyover states.

If you live in the areas affected and are willing to share about your story or pictures, please contact me.  I would love to help others understand what you are going through. We have lived through a terrible situation like this and I understand it is not easy.  The National Media said election night, that they had neglected the Midwest, but we see that they have already forgotten us again.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

Volunteers Across the State Made Us #KSPROUD

Another guest post from one of my friends, Alan Black who traveled two hours to help with the Anderson Creek Fire.  Unlike Dylan who was there are Day 1, things were more controlled and Alan and his crew were there to watch hot spots and let the guys who had been fighting for days get a much needed break.  I was impressed with his view of things.  Alan is also a Volunteer Firefighter who left behind his family to help out as best he could.

On Thursday afternoon March 24th, we got a call that Butler County Task Force 3 was putting together trucks and personnel to mobilize to Medicine Lodge. Saturday morning around 4 a.m, my partner and I left El Dorado for the 2 hour trip down there to relieve our Friday crew.

It's amazing what goes through your mind on your way to a disaster of that scale.
What's it going to look like?
How does a small community handle an influx of that many people and vehicles?
We arrived around 6:20 a.m and prepared for our 12 hour shift on our truck.

Fire trucks, tankers and semi's lined the streets in front of the command post as day shift and night shift strolled in and out of the building with night shift telling the day shift to have a safe and productive day.

The command post room was filled to the gills for the daily briefing on containment and safety concerning the use of the Blackhawks for water drops on that day and Division assignments.

We strolled down to the church for breakfast and to grab a sack lunch for the day's work, being told "Take as much as you need.  We have plenty for you all."

As we proceeded the 20 miles west to Sun City, we were finally getting a bird's eye view of the fire stricken area. Road graders had been used to clear road ditches of all grass and trees to try and stop the fire to no avail.  It still jumped the highway.

We ventured south of Sun City over to the Gyp mine where they had a flare up the day before. My partner and I met up with a Gorham Fire District truck and we toured the area where we would watching hot spots.

One thing that stood out was you couldn't tell that none of these fire fighters had never met or even worked together before. We were all there for one common goal and that was fire containment and structure protection.

Later in the day, we got our first chance to watch the Blackhawks drop water on hot spots in the valleys in our division. It was very interesting to watch considering we never see anything like that in Kansas.

As we looked around, it was blackened ground as far as the eyes could see.  Fences and power lines burnt and laid on the ground. We had the chance to meet up with some of the local fire fighters working on their trucks from a rough 48-60 hour fire fight, and with local ranchers as we traveled their properties checking out fire lines.

The message was always the same "we greatly appreciate everything you guys are doing for us and the communities around us" and one rancher even offered up his bunk house for fire fighters to stay in.

As our shift wrapped up, we did a quick debriefing and headed back to the church for supper with another chance to visit with more locals. Despite everything that that community had been through everybody seemed to be up beat and positive, all grateful for all of us being there. One thing I mentioned in a previous post on Barber County 2016 fire was that the fire fighters are truly the blessed and thankful ones. The hospitality and the amount of food that they kept out for us and the 2 bunk stations was absolutely phenomenal.

Sitting in the church you couldn't help but noticed the stage full of donations to the community and all the extra stuff that was donated for the fire fighters who ended up staying the night in the area.

All we hear about in America anymore is how bad it is, but being part of this fire and seeing everything it just reaffirmed that rural America is still alive and kicking where neighbors help neighbors and everybody was working together for the same cause and fire departments come from all across the state of Kansas from border to border to this small community.

Here are a couple of fun pictures Alan caught driving out to the fire that we just had to share.  ;) -KFM

 

The Anderson Creek Fire Day 1 Volunteer Story

I have asked a few of the Firefighters on the Anderson Creek Fire to share a little about their experiences during the intense fire.  First to respond is Dylan Newman a 23 year old volunteer from Carmen, Oklahoma.  Carmen is a small town in Northwest Oklahoma located in Alfalfa county.  He has been a firefighter in Carmen for four years and currently serves as the assistant chief.  His day job is a custom applicator at the local Farmer's Coop.  Rural Kansas and Oklahoma are protected by brave men and women that leave their day jobs and families behind. Here is Dylan's recollection:

On March 22, 2016 at about 5:30 pm, I received a call from one of my best friends, Fire Chief of the Dacoma Volunteer Fire Department in Dacoma, Oklahoma located in Woods County. He asked if I had guys in town that could respond to a large fire quickly.  I said yes.  He said OK, we have a huge fire near Freedom spreading fast.  I made a few phone calls.  In less than 30 minutes, we were organized and in route to Freedom with 2 grass rigs.  Fire Chief Kevin Irwin and I in one truck and Captain Shawn Belt and long time Carmen firefighter Matthew Oldham in the other truck. 

It's about a 50 mile drive from Carmen to Freedom.  The second we got to the edge of town, we headed out where could clearly see the smoke.  We made a fast trip there turned off highway 64 north onto county road 230 which is about 2 miles east of Camp Houston. We arrived on scene to see a raging wildfire that was like nothing we had ever seen before.

We met up with 2 Dacoma FD units and a brush rig from I believe Elwood Township, Kansas.  We went north up county road 230 and decided that we would make an attempt to make a stand on the head fire when it went to cross the road.  We also had a Woods County dozer and grader there making fire breaks. In seconds, the fire was almost to us, we got lined up on the road ready to fight fire like we had many times, but this time went much different.  We sat on the road with grass, cedar trees and canyons on both sides ready to go and before I knew it, the fire was on us.  The main head fire roared up out of the canyon just in front of our truck. I was on the back in the man well area, where we fight fire from, and before I knew it the fire was roaring up out if the canyon next to us.

I couldn't see.

I couldn't breath.

It was the most intense heat I've ever felt on a grass fire.

At that time, we realized we couldn't stop it and had to evacuate, but we couldn't quickly due to the fire trucks behind us trying to get out.

We couldn't go forward due to the fire.

We were sitting ducks.

Everything happened so fast, but I still saw my life flash before my eyes.

I just knew I was going to die on the back of a fire truck that night.

The heat was so intense I could feel my ears, eyes and lips burning even though I was in full gear, it hurt so bad.

The only thing I could do was turn my nozzle on fog and lay down for cover in the man well of the fire truck.  We finally were able to start to back out and get away. We got out of the way of the danger and came to a stop only to realize the smoke coming out from under the hood of our truck.  We quickly popped the hood to see the insulation on fire,  and then realized the other damage to the truck.  Our headlight was melted, plastic on the grill and bumper was melted, paint was scorched and charred, along with the decals, and flashing emergency light bar and spotlight on top of the cab.

After that we decided we couldn't do that again or someone would get killed.  For the rest of the night Carmen, Dacoma, and Amorita Byron fire departments worked the west flank of the fire along county road 230 keeping the fire from crossing 230 to the west.  I remember being on the Dyer ranch that night. We stayed on the fire all night.

To basically sum it up, the first night of the fire was a very dangerous situation that I came close to injury and that definitely scared me.
The fire was just so big, and moved so fast.
It had a roar to it.
Cedar trees would just explode in the blink of an eye.
Ranchers were just cutting fences to try and get cattle out of the path.
The roads were covered in cattle running loose.

I returned to the fire 2 days later with a brush rig and tanker. We met back up with Dacoma and the Helena fire department and checked some hot spots west of Alva, Oklahoma and then proceeded north past the May Ranch onto Hackberry road in Southern Kansas.  We staged for a while south of Aetna, Kansas then moved west down Hackberry road through Ted Turner's Z Bar Ranch into Hardtner, Kansas, then north about 10 miles and back to the northwest onto the Boggs Ranch.  We fought some fire as it pushed to the south and came out of the canyons. We stayed there in that area with units from Dacoma, Helena, Capron, Oklahoma Departments and Barber County Rural Fire Department of Kansas all night.

Many things stood out to me with this fire, such as this fire moved faster than any fire I've ever seen. It was incredible how many volunteer firefighters dropped what they were doing in their lives to respond.  Small town rural American is a great thing, so many people offered us food and water. 

To the question of what to do different in future situations, well for myself, I will have a better escape route in a fire situation just in case things go south again, because no grass fire is worth dying over.  I can guarantee you this, even after such a close call in that situation, if the pager was to go off right now, I would go back out and help on the fire.  I wouldn't blink an eye, I would go in a heartbeat. That's what we do in rural American, we work together and help each other, you never know when you might need their help someday.

These are all photos I took, some of my photos are floating around Facebook and people are saying they were taken other places, but they aren't true. They are mine. I made the front page of the Enid, Oklahoma newspaper with one photo, some photos and videos made Oklahoma City Fox 25 news and one of my pictures will be in the High Plains Journal.

There were hundreds of volunteers like Dylan who answered the call that week.  I am very thankful that he and his crew made it out alive that first day and that we have guys like him across our great country that help protect us all.  Dylan certainly has a great eye for catching the moments of this monstrous fire.  

Kansas Farm Bureau has set up a website for donations and a list of supplies available called KFB Fire Relief.

Fire Chief, Kevin Irwin's wife sent me this information about a T-Shirt Fundraiser for the local departments. We are selling T-shirts for $20 and right now, all $20 is going to a fund to be shared between ALL fire departments in Kansas and Oklahoma that helped fight this blaze. 

We have had t shirts donated from one of our suppliers up to a certain amount and then a discounted price after we reach that amount. We are donating our time and service to print these shirts. For every T-shirt sold $20 goes into this fund. Please help us help those that ensure our safety. The link to purchase is: mkt.com/andersoncreekwildfire  or you can pick up tomorrow at Small Town Tees in Kiowa and Daisy Village in Alva.

The Fire the National Media Won't Tell You About

There has been a fire raging in Kansas and Oklahoma for days and you probably haven't seen anything about it on the news.  It is the largest wildfire to ever burn in Kansas.

The last 6 days have been long and tiring for the people and livestock living in Woods County, OK, Barber and Comanche Counties in Kansas.  A wildfire started along Highway 64 in Oklahoma.  Maybe it was from a cigarette tossed out the window or a brake that threw sparks on a big rig.  It really doesn't matter how it started at this point.  What happened in those 3 counties?  367,620 acres burned pushed by winds that reached 57 miles per hour!  The humidity was extremely low and the soil moisture was very dry.  That is the equivalent of 367,000+ football fields burned black.

Here is what we do know about the Anderson Creek Fire:

1.  Fences were damaged.  Posts were burned to the ground.
2. Cows were killed although not as many as originally thought.  The cows took refuge in and around ponds and saved their own lives.
3. Livestock are suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.
4. Homes were lost.  My husband has friends who had the fire go by one side of the house and they thought they were saved only to have the wind switch directions and come back at the house and burn it to the ground.
5. Volunteer fire fighters are exhausted and are back at work at their regular jobs.  Yes, I said regular jobs.  Fire Departments in rural America are largely staffed by volunteers who leave their paying jobs to protect us often getting less than $50 per day in payment.
6. Dreams for an easy Spring season are long gone. Days are going to be filled with rebuilding fences and helping neighbors.

Greg Akagi from WIBW shared this thought from a rancher in the area.

The people who live in the counties are busy!  

At this point very few have had time to think about what has happened and could probably learn quite a bit from the ranchers that lived through Winter Storm Atlas.

• Right now, they are searching for cattle.  They are most likely alive, but are mixed with other ranches cattle thanks to fences that were damaged, gates that were opened to let fire fighters in and the cows out, and fences that were cut to let fire trucks in to attempt to stop the fires.
• They are fixing fences to keep their cattle somewhere safe.  No, they aren't waiting for the government to give them help to rebuild.  They don't have time to wait on the speed of the government.
• They are helping neighbors.  
• They are certainly keeping a watchful eye to the sky looking for a small whisp of smoke that could mean huge trouble with a gust of wind.

 There is never a great time for a wildfire, 

But a March/April fire is just when the grass is starting to grow and when most farmers plan to burn anyway.  This fire was not ideal conditions.  It was burning hotter than ranchers would like to see, but the native grasses are resilient.  They survived wildfires long before man came along to extinguish them.  Ranchers can use fire as a means to control many trees and bushes that try to over take grassland.  We also know, just as the Native Americans did, that fire gives us better more nutritious grass that is good for both cattle, buffalo and wildlife alike.

Cedar Trees on our farm during a controlled burn.

As this video states, it burned A LOT of cedar trees.  These trees are very invasive and choke out grass under them.   Eastern Red Cedar Trees also send sparks flying into the air when they burn which was probably a big part of how the fire spread with the help of the fire.  Cedar trees also use lots of water.  I saw a report saying that a rancher saw water running from a spring in the burned area that had not been running water before.  With the trees gone, there will be more water for livestock and wildlife and will improve the habitat for the Lesser Prairie Chicken and Bobwhite Quail populations that have been dwindling in recent years. 

Want to see more sights of the fire?  KWCH TV has some great coverage!  I especially liked this video showing the sights and sounds of the fire.

We have been through a few wildfires in dry windy conditions, but nothing the size of this one.  Neighbors have always rushed to help us fight the fire and see if we needed anything afterward.  Watching cows be confused and not know where to take them or how to get them to understand you are trying to help is heart wrenching. Having to decide to save yourself and your crew you are responsible for and leaving animals to fend for themselves is awful.

Hay was needed to feed cows.  

Unlike fires we have seen before, entire ranches were burned including their hay stacks.  One day after a call was sent out that hay was needed, the Kansas Livestock Association said their was more hay than the local Coop yards could hold and they would let us know when/if more was needed.  I say "if", because the fire area got snow Easter morning providing valuable moisture to the grass to help it grow quickly.

What can you do?  

Both Kansas and Oklahoma have set up disaster relief funds to help the ranchers rebuild.
Pray for continued rain in the area.  There are showing signs of drought once again.

Kansas Farm Bureau got this from a rancher in a 1 minute conversation on Friday.

Share this with your friends.  Let them see how hard it is to grow food for their table.
Do you a story of someone in the area?  Please share it!

UPDATE:
I have added a post from a Volunteer Firefighter who was called out the first day of the fire and he shares what he saw and heard. Volunteers Made us #KSProud is the story of one of the volunteers who went out later in the week to relieve guys that had been fighting for days.

-A Kansas Farm Mom