Local volunteer fire departments kept busy on Thursday, Aug. 11 fighting three grass fires that broke out between Savage and Intake.
A Burlington Northern train passing through the area started all three fires when sparks from the wheels ignited dry grass along the tracks. By the time volunteer firemen had the blaze under control, four local fire departments, Savage, West Glendive, Sidney and the City of Glendive, had responded to the situation.
“There were three fires in all, started by a sparking train,” says West Glendive Fire Chief Tim Mort. “Savage responded to the first two, and we were called to the third one, which was the largest. When we arrived at the fire we saw it was bigger than we expected and that we needed more equipment and manpower, so we called in Savage to help. Savage was just coming off the two earlier fires, so we also called in Sidney and the City of Glendive to help us with this fire.”
Nearly 80 acres of coulee and grassland burned, as well as a pile of discarded tires and a stack of old railroad ties. No structures burned and damage was minimal. “Not much of value burned, only some grass,” says Mort. “The old church at Intake also caught fire but the firemen got it out right away.”
Moving trains cause several grass fires each summer. Mort says this is a normal occurrence. “We see five or six grass fires each year caused by sparks from a train,” he remarks. “A train wheel may get hot and when it brushes against vegetation, dry grass can ignite.”
Firemen contained and extinguished the blaze at Intake.
Mort appreciates the efforts of all fire departments involved in this situation and thanks all those who came to assist the West Glendive department. ‘I want to thank Sidney and Savage fire departments for coming to help us,” Mort says. “They made a big difference in our ability to contain the fire quickly. I also want to thank Lowell Stevenson who farms near Intake. He has one of our trucks parked at Intake and he came to help right away.”
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