BOZEMAN — Hyalite Fire Chief Chris Dahlhauser said Gallatin Gateway, Bozeman Fire, Central Valley and Fort Ellis Fire Departments all responded to a small grass fire of about 1 acre on Fowler Lane this morning at 11:13 a.m.
Hyalite was quickly able to contain it by themselves. Dahlhauser said even though the fire was smaller, you can never be too careful—especially right now.
“We're in grass fire season and we take that very seriously,” said Dahlhauser. “When we get fire in the grass and wind behind it, it moves quickly, so we want to throw in as many resources as we can to knock it out.”
The property owner was unable to speak to us, but according to Dahlhauser, the fire was the result of a small brush pile the property owner was burning about one week ago. Bozeman was not under a burn ban at this time. Dahlhauser said the owner was diligent about checking the brush pile and making sure it was under control.
“He was doing a phenomenal job,” said Dahlhauser.
Dahlhauser said there had been no smoke or sign of heat coming off the brush pile for the last week, but today the conditions were just right, and a fire sparked up.
“With the amount of heat we've had and then this wind today, it actually must've had a hot spot in it and started up again,” said Dahlhauser.
Dahlhauser said Bozeman is under a red flag warning and all outside burning is prohibited. He recommends property owners have greenery at least 50 feet around their home and mow down dead grass. This will cause a grass fire to slow down and give firefighters a chance to contain it.
“For anyone living in the district, just be super thoughtful about what you’re doing and how you're doing it, just to try to prevent any grass fires from starting,” said Dahlhauser.
