To start with an update on the fires in the area.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/15/news/state/20-hardin-fire_g.txt">Fire sparks evacuation near Waco</a><br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/15/news/state/35-general-fires.txt">Crews make gains on Bundy Railroad, Heights fires</a><br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/15/news/state/30-ashland-update.txt">Fire south of Ashland grows to 6,000 acres</a><br />n<br />nIn this last article I will point out at the end of the story is how I spent my afternoon/evening.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>The other fire is in the Sarpy Mountains, on Butte Creek. It grew to about 70 acres Friday. The smoke is visible north of Busby, but it is remote enough that crews had to walk in, Anderson said. A heavy air tanker from Billings was ordered for the fire but was diverted to another fire, he said.</blockquote><br />n<br />nAbout 3:00 pm I got a call informing me there was a fire on my place and telling me where it was. We jumped in the vehicle and took off to find the fire. The smoke was laying in here so thick from the Pine Ridge fires that visibility was less than one mile making it extremely difficult to find the fire. We went to where we understood the fire to be and could find no sign of a fire. We looked around for a while and finally radioed home and asked My Darling Wife to call the person back up and confirm where the fire was.<br />n<br />nMy Darling Wife got the information and I finally spotted it bout 2 miles east of where we were.<br />n<br />n<a class='serendipity_image_link' href='http://www.sarpysam.net/gallery/misc/fire07142006?full=1'><img width='250' height='188' border='0' hspace='5' align='left' src='http://www.sarpysam.net/gallery/albums/misc/fire07142006.thumb.jpg' alt='' /></a>The easiest way to get to the area involved driving about 10 miles around so off we went. We finally found the fire. A ridge top was burning. There was a forest service guy there and he informed us a hand crew was coming and a dozer had just been dropped off on the other side of the ridge to start working the fire. I looked the situation over and decided we had better hump over there and work on the fire and not wait for the professionals so that we could get in under control. We hiked over there and started putting the fire out and hand lining it where necessary.<br />n<br />nWe were eventually joined by a neighbor in the job and after a few hours we had the fire out and some of the hotter spots hand lined. I guess there was a dozer there, we never saw it. The guy who owned the land never showed up to the fire. Just as we finished the professionals showed up to started lining the whole fire at which time the dozer started working the fire. It would have been nice if he had helped us but who cares, the fire was out and they were working at putting a good line around it.<br />n<br />nWe turned the fire over to the fire crew, they are from Fort Belknap, and headed home very tired, hungry and thirsty. I had some water but those Wheaties were awful thin by 9:00 pm and I was hungry. <br />n<br />nI will have to swing by the fire today and see how the suppression efforts are going. Keep the fire down in this hot weather so it won't spread. I wish the people around Hardin were as lucky. Hopefully they will make progress on the fired today. In the triple digit temperatures expected, I doubt it though.<br />n<br />n<b>With friends like this, who needs enemies.</b>