Glacier fire costs over $10 million
Firefighting operations at the Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park are winding down, with ground, engine and helicopter crews departing to take a hard-earned, two-day rest before redeploying to new blazes flaring up in the Western United States.
As of Friday morning just under 300 personnel were still engaged in battling the wildland fire that is slowly burning up the Rose and Baring creek drainages but now considered to be under control. That’s less than half of the peak staffing levels reached shortly after an elite Type I Incident Management Team was brought on board to fight the blaze — at the time the only such team deployed in the country.
And the suppression costs are still rising, albeit more incrementally. By Friday the effort had racked up a $10.1 million price tag since the fire began July 21.
Fire team spokeswoman Lisa Keibler said the team made use of more aerial support — a $2,433,823 share of the total to date — than is typical on a fire this size, due in large part to the proximity of St. Mary Lake to the blaze and the availability of those resources when the fire broke out. The quick delivery time from lake to flame helped keep the price of water relatively low, with more than two million gallons dumped on the 4,311-acre fire area.
Aerial support included three types of water-dropping helicopters, a fixed-wing “air attack” plane which acts as a control tower in the sky and heat-sensing aircraft to root out hotspots and map the fire’s perimeter.
Personnel accounted for the lion’s share of the suppression costs, totaling $4,513,478. According to daily press releases from the incident management team, 670 people were part of the firefighting effort at its peak, including eight interagency hotshot crews, eight ground crews, overhead team members, engine crews and support staff at the camp. Besides wages, that figure also includes which includes catering, showers and other costs.
Supplies cost $2,492,250, including replacement parts for hand tools, tents, sleeping bags, meal replacements and “cubies”, the one-cubic-foot boxes of water provided to ground crews.
A total of $653,538 was spent on equipment: engines, hoses and valves, water tenders and other tools of the trade.
On July 29, a week after the fire began, park officials announced they believed the fire was caused by a human, but declined to elaborate further. As part of the ongoing investigation, the park is interviewing campers and hikers who were in or near Reynolds Creek Campground during the week before the fire started.
Those found guilty of starting wildland fires are often required to pay the suppression costs of the firefighting effort, and may face additional fines for resource damage. However, a sentencing judge may opt out of levying that massive expense on the guilty party.
Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.