Hungry Horse news., 1954-06-25
FIutheud Fire
Burns 100 Acres
On Yukinikuk

in the Flathead even as the higl
country continued to hold a recorc
snow pack for late June.
There was 100 acres burned
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurs.
day in Flathead National Forest'
Glacier View district. Location O.
the fire is on Yakinikak creek
five miles south of the Canadian
border. Yakinikak or Trail creek
is the first major drainage south
of the border, and is across the
Flathead rivers North Fork from
J Glacier National Park.
Fire danger at Big Creek Tues
day reached a peak for the week
of 81. This is considerably below
figure like so on the 100 scale
where fires ordinarily spread rap
idly. However conditions were just
right at Yakinikak with heat
wind and fuel.
FIRE CONTROLLED
The. Yakinikak fire which rates
as Flathead National Forests first
of 1854 was termed "believed con-
trolled" late Thursday afternoon.
The big blaze that swept through
slash area and blowdown timber in
rough, canyon area, started in a
sawdust pile of Rex Browns that
was ignited last fall. There was
clearing for fire control around the
pile.
Tuesday afternoon, summer sud-
denly hit the Flathead, with warm
dry winds that reached A miles an
hour. Smoldering embers from the
sawdust pile were famed into
flame and carried into the timber.
T AT 4:25 pm, Tuesday Packer
Bill Reynolds alerted John Jeffers,
dispatcher at Big Creek, that there
was a one-fourth acre fire. Rey-
nolds was taking two smoke
jumpers, Erwin Hermes and Rich
ard Tracy, into a To-day camp on
Yakinikak to work on spruce bark
beetle marking.
ExPLODES
Jim Hutchens and Mert Roat
were on the fire at $50 pm, from
Big Creek station 36 miles south.
The fire grew to 20 aces, and then
virtually exploded into 100 acres.
Burning for the most part was
causing little economic damage. 1t
was consuming slash and blow
down except for two spot fires
that started out in the new growth.
Snow patches were in view of
firefighters working in the can
yon-like terrain.
Seventy-five men were on the
fire Thursday morning. Twelve
chain saws were in use. Bulldozers
use was difficult, but Rex Brown
had a dozer and nine men, and
Koenigs dozer on the fire.
Fortunate factor was the battle
front being on the Tuchuck road
about six miles from the main
North Fork road.
In contrast was last years larg-
est blaze, the 348 acre Tango cab
in fire back of Holland lake, 16
miles from roads end.
CLASSROOM TO FIRE
Call of "bad fire" also interrupt
ted the fire guard school at Coram
ranger station Wednesday. At
tending were lookouts and fire
guards, coming on the job for the
and just starting three
day training course. They were
from Big Creek, Coram and Tally
Lake.
The 40 trainees covered map
reading, and next development
was to the field on an actual fire.
Organization of firefighters re-
sembles an army in battle. Ranger
Dale Arnold of Glacier View dis
5rict is fire boss. Roger Thaanum,
the Flathead's fire control chief, is
in general charge. Ranger Bert
Bealey is camp boss assisted by
Fred Metcalf. Safety and training
officers are Pete Danielson, Al Ar
yidson and Pat Taylor.
Jim Hutchens is dozer boss; John
dozer foreman, and |
Carl Marsh, Martin Hen
John Stenz, Curtis Cha
gun and Warren Kelsey.
Technicolor beauty of a Holly
wood fire was missing. The fire
had crowned Tuesday evening and
Wednesday, but mostly is was a
mean burn in blowdown timber
and steep country. 1t was no place
or a movie hero.
See Bigfork fire on page