"Time to go"

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

Star Meadow evacuation under way; Fires gain 48,000 acres

The Daily Inter Lake

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office issued a mandatory evacuation in Star Meadow after the Brush Creek Fire made a late-night run Friday and doubled its size over the course of the night.

By Saturday evening, it covered nearly 16,000 acres. Fire officials expect it to continue to grow today if the wind and low relative humidity persist.

The Brush Creek expansion was part of a huge outburst by the three major fires burning in Northwest Montana.

Brush Creek, combined with the Chippy Creek Fire (southwest of Kalispell) and the Skyland Fire (northwest of the Flathead Valley near Marias Pass) had covered more than 82,000 acres by late Saturday.

That marked an increase of 48,000 acres - or 75 square miles - since Friday.

The Brush Creek Fire, 23 miles southwest of Whitefish, was sized at 7,274 acres Friday afternoon. By 6 p.m., it had grown and reached a 24-hour trigger point four miles from Star Meadow. At that point, the fire had potential to reach homes in Star Meadow within 24 hours. Twelve- and four-hour trigger points were also in place.

By 11 p.m., when sheriff's deputies warned residents the fire had reached the first trigger point, the fire had grown again and reached the four-hour trigger point three miles from the meadow.

At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire was sized at 14,484 acres, fire information officer Pam Ritchie said. It grew more than 1,500 acres throughout the day, primarily headed northwest toward Dunsire Point.

By Saturday night, the fire was estimated at 15,981 acres and was listed as 0 percent contained. Fifty structures are threatened, most in Star Meadow and the Good Creek drainage.

The sheriff's office issued a mandatory evacuation order for all Star Meadow residents Saturday morning. Deputies cannot force people to leave, however, and many residents opted to stay.

Paul and Susan Mico refused to leave the cabin they live in on their 240-acre ranch. They've lived in Star Meadow for 20 years; Susan Mico's mother, Jean Barber, has lived just across the road for the last year and a half. She plans to stay put as well.

"It's a pretty defensible position right around here," she said, pointing out the fact that there are no trees next to any of their buildings. "And we could possibly add to the watching for sparks."

The Micos did send their 8-year-old son to stay with friends, and they spent all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday evacuating their livestock.

"It's too smoky to keep them here now," Mico said of his animals. He jerked his head toward the eastern sky, which was thick with gray smoke. "But we're staying here."

About half of Star Meadow's residents shared that view, Sheriff Mike Meehan said. Most who opted to leave went to friends' or family members' homes, but the American Red Cross set up an evacuation shelter at Muldown Elementary in Whitefish for those who might not have anywhere else to go.

As of Saturday night, no one had used it, Western Region Director Gayle Wilhelm said. The shelter will be open at least until tomorrow night.

"We find in Montana that most people have community that help them and friends and neighbors and relatives," she said. "So shelters aren't used much in the state of Montana."

Those who chose to stay home instead of staying with friends or neighbors made sure their valuables were taken to a safe place.

"Last night was steady horse trailers, people moving stock," Meehan said.

Friends and family members helped the Micos load their goats, chickens, horses and cattle into trailers and took the animals to Coram and Kila.

"As soon as this started happening, people started calling me," Mico said. "I wouldn't be able to do this without some good friends."

Not all the animals made it out unscathed, however. Part of the Micos' 17,000-acre grazing allotment went up in flames Friday night, and forty pairs of cattle were still missing Saturday evening. At least two had been recovered only after they had been burned.

But Mico was more concerned about what would happen to his cattle in a few months' time if their winter feed is destroyed.

"Our biggest concern is our haystacks," he said, pointing to a hayshed filled with tall round bales.

Jared Pitcher, a volunteer firefighter with Evergreen Fire Department, and Mark Stevenson, a volunteer firefighter with Columbia Falls, were on hand to help in case the hay was threatened.

"We got the call at 11:45 last night, and they said, 'Be here at 8 a.m.,'" Pitcher said.

He and Stevenson spent most of the day at the head of the Micos' driveway, ready to protect the buildings if the fire came near. While smoke choked the valley and large chunks of ash and burned twigs fell from the sky, no flames crossed the ridge Saturday.

"We'll be here until the fire passes," Stevenson said. "Then we can go back, and if any of the structures are on fire, we'll put them out."

Other local volunteers sprayed cold fire, a flame-retardant foam, on Marc Wender's house just down the road. Wender began building a house in Star Meadow a month ago.

He could see the flames from the Brush Creek Fire from his home in Bigfork Friday night.

"I didn't sleep much at all," he said.

Firefighters who had been awake most of the night were up early Saturday to help move the incident command post from Hope Ranch, which is adjacent to the Micos' property. When the evacuation order was given, the camp moved to Farm to Market Road 3.25 miles south of U.S. 93.

It was a frustrating move for Richard Kreienheder, who lives in Star Meadow with his wife, Mandy. He said he felt like the wildland firefighters abandoned them.

"I know things changed drastically on them," he said, shaking his head. "But couldn't they have at least let us know they might pull out?"

Fire officials could have warned residents at the public information meeting held Friday night, he said. Another public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the incident command post on Farm to Market Road.

Kreienheder did, however, appreciate the 39 local volunteer firefighters in Star Meadow all day Saturday. They worked primarily on structure protection and coated several structures with cold fire.

Kreienheder and his wife spent the day Saturday moving stacks of logs intended for future building projects away from their log-cabin home.

"I think we'll spend the night," he said. "When the fire trucks show up to foam the house down, it's time to go."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.