Structure total loss, no injuries

POTOMAC – Just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, Greenough-Potomac Volunteer Fire Department was paged to a structure fire on Swanson Lane. Nearly 20 volunteer firefighters from Potomac and Missoula Rural responded and the scene was secured just after midnight. While there were no injuries, the structure was a total loss as well as the pump house inside that supplied two other structures on the property.

When 9-1-1 gave the address, Greenough-Potomac Fire Chief Ryan Hall realized the fire was at his neighbors.

"I looked out the window towards the neighbor's house and I saw a four-foot by four-foot orange flame out the front of the building," Hall said.

Within minutes, Hall left his house and the fire was six foot by six foot. He flew down his 1,000-foot long driveway, hit the county road and turned back towards his neighbors. When he arrived the fire had tripled in size.

"The wind was picking up and it was in perfect alignment with the front of this structure where the flames were," Hall said. "That wind could not have lined up on that structure any more perfect and spread fire back through the unburned part of the building."

Hall explained that the wind came out of the west blowing 15-30 miles per hour.

"It blew perfectly uphill in perfect parallel fashion with the outsides of the building and just created an inferno for us," Hall said. "Had this been August at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, this fire would have been a lot bigger and more structures would have been lost easily."

The fire quickly went from involving a third of the structure to halfway involved. The structure engine went enroute within minutes of the call. Hall said it was the first on scene followed quickly by the wildland fire truck. By the time the structure engine arrived, the building was completely involved and starting to spread to the trees and pine needles.

There were three additional structures within 100 yards of the burning structure. Two were on the same property and one an adjacent property.

Hall said the fire spread towards another house on an adjacent property and peppered one of the other two structures with firebrands. The homeowner and community members gridded the area to look for wildland fire starts.

"We are picking up spot fires that were three to four inch diameter and we still had winds," Hall said. "It was a little bit of everything like bark from the pine trees to what I believe was tar paper or cardboard that floated over 150 yards away from the structure and littered the pine needles. Luckily none of those took off and started a bigger fire."

Thankfully the winds died down and Hall said they were able to get around the fire with a wet line and initiated mop-up. The fire burned a quarter of an acre, torched a few trees and had spots in the surrounding vegetation.

Potomac supplied three engines and a water tender. Missoula Rural brought four firefighters with a tender and their structure engine. MESI also sent an ambulance and the Missoula County Sheriff's Office had a deputy on scene.

"We had a great turnout," Hall said adding there were 14 volunteers from Potomac including Hall. "We are real thankful to have good neighbors in the community. We are also thankful to have good neighbors such as Missoula Rural and MESI that are willing to come out and help."

At Hall's request, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation patrolled the wildlands around the property for at least two days following the fire to ensure there were no holdovers.

Hall said the fire is still under investigation but nothing suspicious was suspected.

Ways You Can Help

• Donate cash or checks:

- Checks can be made out to Potomac Bible Church. Please note in the memo if the donations should be for homeowner Joe Guay or for building material to rebuild the pump house. Mail donations to Potomac Bible Church, PO Box 955, Bonner, MT 59823. For more information call Potomac Bible Church Pastor Steve Fawcett, 406-546-7808.

• Donate via GoFundMe online:

- Visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/joe-guays-house-fire

• Donate building materials:

- The family is seeking building materials specifically 2X6 inch, eight-foot boards and 7/16 inch OSB. For more information about specific needs and where to drop off materials text Marty Preston at 406-304-1250.