Fire Crews On Crow Indian Reservation Fighting One Fire And Put Out Another

The 260 acre Section House fire 12 miles southwest of Pryor is 30% contained and has dozer line around it, as about 50 people continue their third day attacking it.

Weather will secure or break their progress.

The fire has 40 to 60 mph winds expected Wednesday evening (July 7th) from passing thunderstorms, but has not grown since Tuesday night. 

On limestone ridges, the fire was inaccessible to engines during initial attack.

Air resources borrowed from the nearby Crooked Creek wildfire have made the difference in slowing the Section House fire so far.

In the last day three crews and two dozers from that incident were used to create fireline.

Those resources may leave our fire after end of shift Wednesday night and will be replaced by a Utah Type 2 IA crew (which brings sawyers and are self-supporting), a water tender and four engines ordered for our fire.

Meanwhile, two engines from Crow Agency attacked the 5 acre Brush Coulee fire at 2:50 Wednesday afternoon, which started from a farm combine three miles upwind (southwest) of Crow Agency.

With help from Big Horn County Rural Fire and from farmers, they have stopped visible flames and are “wetlining” the fire edges to cool it before winds arrive from potential severe thunderstorms Wednesday evening.

Remember it’s not “if” a fire will happen but “when.”

They are part of nature.

You prepare your home for inevitable fires by cutting your grass short, keeping lots of water handy outdoors, moving burnable stuff away from structures, and having an emergency plan to care for family.

Just don’t let anyone create a human-caused fire.

High temperatures remain at 98 Thursday in Crow and return to 99 degrees by Sunday after a brief windy cooldown to 89 Friday.