Old Airstrip Fire burning on Crane Mountain

 A lightening-caused wildfire has burned about 10 acres above Woods Bay since it started Sunday afternoon, but low temperatures and high humidity have aided firefighters in getting a handle on the blaze, according to the Forest Service's Swan Lake District Fire Officer Brad Gillespie.

"It's a dry site and it's been exposed to wind and sun all year," Gillespie said. "That's why it's ready to burn now."

The fire is burning in rough terrain above the Crane Mountain Estates neighborhood just south of Woods Bay. The area isn't accessible by road so two 20-person crews and a pair of helicopters were battling the fire on foot or in the air. Gillespie said no evacuations were expected as of Tuesday.

Backup engines and a pair of bulldozers were standing by at the top of Crane Mountain Estates, should they be needed.

Forest Service spokeswoman Teresa Wenum said crews expect to be on the fire until the end of the week before getting it completely contained.

"They do have a hand line around the fire," she said on Tuesday afternoon. "They're working today to get water up there."

Wenum said crews were trying to get portable tanks to the fire to cool it down.

Monday's thunderstorms that dropped a torrential downpour in Bigfork and Woods Bay left less than a tenth of an inch of rain at the fire, according to Wenum.

The early season fire should serve as a reminder to people to take extra care in the woods and around their homes, Gillespie said.

"The fuel conditions are extremely dry for this time of year," he said. "Days of hot, dry weather with wind act as a catalyst for drying."

Former Bigfork Fire Chief and current department safety officer Chuck Harris said the blaze should also encourage homeowners to make their properties more resistant to wildfire and easier to defend should the need arise.

Harris said homeowners should think of their protection plan in terms of envisioning concentric circles emanating from their home. The first 30 feet should contain little in the way of fuels, with less thinning or clearing required in each subsequent zone.

"The concept is that we can come in then and protect a home without it being a danger to crews," Harris said.

And around Bigfork, homeowners don't have to shoulder the financial burden of getting their property up to snuff alone. Harris said the Bigfork Fire Department still has funds available in their Fire Wise grant program, which is a federal program designed to encourage homeowners, agencies and communities to work together to protect land that falls within the wildfire-urban interface.

"It's been very successful," Harris said. "Most of it's been by word of mouth when people realize we're not talking about clear cutting their property."

Harris estimated the department has enough money to continue the program through next year, by which time they will hopefully be given another large chunk of funds for the project. Harris said the Bigfork program has had the lowest administrative costs of any in the state, something that should be a boost when applications are considered.

To find out more about the program, contact the Bigfork Fire Department at 837-4590 and ask for Harris or Rick Trembath.