It blew up Friday afternoon on July 24.

By Saturday it was contained.

By Sunday it was under control.

The US Forest Service responded to the fire on Friday about six miles up Lolo
Pass Road, off Forest Service Road 1825, near McNeil campground.

Moments later a second fire flared across the road and the Hoodland Fire
District was summoned.

With the tender nature of the forest due to unseasonably dry conditions, the
situation got serious quickly.

“There was just too much heat,” HFD Deputy Chief John Ingrao told The
Mountain Times. “We made the decision to call in a helicopter.”

The USFS responded and quickly the Type 1 helicopter was making 10-minute
sorties over the fire, drawing water from a couple deep pools upstream on the
Sandy River, according to Ingrao.

The fire grew to almost 12 acres before crews were able to get the blaze
under control, according to HFD Fire Marshal Scott Kline.

Besides McNeil campground, Old Maid Flats and Forest Road 1825 were closed
during firefighting operations, and campers were informally evacuated.

The terrain made it difficult for firefighters as they had to traverse steep
terrain packing hoses, fire axes and other essential equipment.

But, according to HFD Fire Chief Mic Eby, there was another important factor
in play.

“It’s just a most beautiful area, you hate to see it in our own back yard,” Eby
said. “The trees, mosses, it’s so pristine. We really hustled to protect it.”

And besides the intervention by the helicopter, the firefighters got another
helping hand.

“The rain was wonderful,” Eby said. “It really helped out.”

It should be noted that rain broke a string of 48 days without measurable
precipitation, starting June 5 and ending July 25, the second day of the fire,
as reported by The Mountain Times weatherman (see Page 27, this issue).
As of Tuesday, July 28, USFS investigators had not determined the cause of
the fire.

However, according to Laura Pramuk, public affairs officer for the Forest
Service, an illegal campfire is suspected.

As the weather changes to cooler temperatures Kline urged local citizens to
re-evaluate their homes for defensible space from the threat of wildfires.

Open fires are prohibited including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and
warming fires, except in designated locations.

Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are still allowed.