Firefighters extinguish grass fire that threatened homes in West Valley

Firefighters from six state and local agencies corralled a rapidly spreading grass fire near the intersection of Old Reserve and West Valley drives on Sunday.  

The blaze consumed roughly 19 acres and threatened nearby homes before crews doused it, said West Valley Fire Rescue officials. West Valley firefighters received mutual aid from Kalispell Fire, Smith Valley Fire, South Kalispell Fire and Evergreen Fire as well as the Montana Department of Natural Resources.  

Crews initially responded to the fire about 1:43 p.m., Oct. 20, authorities said. Neighbors tried fighting the blaze with fire extinguishers, but it had spread to treetops and continued to grow. By the time firefighters were on the scene, the fire was at an estimated 10 acres.  

The fire’s proximity to homes, about a couple hundred feet, posed a challenge when fighting the fast-moving, wind-driven flames, said West Valley Fire Chief Sean Bohannan.  

Brush trucks, water tenders and structure engines were deployed to protect threatened homes and authorities ordered evacuations for residents along West Bluegrass Drive and Coclet Lane, officials said. Evacuation orders were rescinded later in the day. 

Crews checked the fire's progress by 2:40 p.m. West Valley Fire Rescue officials said there was no significant damage to structures besides a barn that caught fire and was quickly extinguished. The fire was out by 7:30 p.m. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Bohannon. He said a controlled burn did not spark the blaze.  

Authorities are still working on a damage estimate, but said the fire consumed a mixture of open land and wooded residential areas. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at junderhill@dailyinterlake.com and 758-4407.