News release prepared by:

Battalion Chief Michael Bowman

At 1821 hours on this date, Missoula Rural Fire District (MRFD) was dispatched to the 17000 block of Old Highway 93 South in Lolo for a grass fire. The first arriving fire unit from Lolo reported a half-acre fire burning in grass with a moderate rate of spread. Florence Rural Fire units arrived shortly after and assisted with fire control. Initial arriving crews worked to create a wet line around the fire perimeter to prevent further spread. This fire was controlled within twenty minutes of the first unit arriving on the scene. Fire crews remained on scene for a couple of hours to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished.

This fire was caused by an operating hay swather. The equipment operator quickly called 911 to request the fire department. The operator attempted to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the fire grew too rapidly to control.

MRFD responded with two wildland fire engines, a water tender, and a command unit. MRFD received mutual aid from Florence Fire, which sent five engines and one command unit, along with assistance from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), providing one engine. A total of twenty-four firefighters were on the scene to extinguish the blaze, which was named the McClain Fire. The total size of this fire was 1.8 acres. There were no structures in danger during the incident.

The prompt call to 911 and quick thinking of the equipment operator to get a response from the fire department is what prevented this fire from becoming a larger incident.

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For additional information on this incident, please contact MRFD at 406-549-6172.