ARLEE - A wildfire sparked by lightning Monday, July 24, 2023, has already burned 116 acres in the Mission Valley.
Fire crews quickly jumped into action to battle the Big Knife Fire, which is in steep and rocky terrain.
Robert McCrea with CSKT Division of Fire has been around fire his entire life. Fighting wildfires runs in his family. His father worked fires for 50 years, his mother spent some time in the fire service, and his son now is getting into it.
“You don’t wanna be scared. You have no time to be scared. You wanna be ahead of the game and just always thinking one step ahead of the fire,” shared McCrea.
As the fire burns through the hills outside of Arlee, crews from the CSKT Division of Fire have been out on the ground working to find the best possible way to contain and manage the Big Knife Fire.
Taking MTN along the perimeter, McCrea explained how crews plan based on the terrain. “We’re just driving to take a look at what we need to do in here. See what kind of work see what kind of resources we need to order.”
While driving, McCrea pointed out spots with fuels, brush and thinner trees that are devoured by wildfires.
Weather, especially heat and wind, is also always a concern.
“You might get some weather that’s predicted in the morning and it’s the total opposite from what it could be. It could be strong winds predicted and those winds never materialize or you could get no winds that its calling for and you could end up having strong winds.”
Even with the unpredictability and danger of fire, McCrea has stepped onto the front lines year after year.
“CSKT is my home ground. I love it. I want to take care of it because it’s the future of our kids. We want to protect it as much as possible."
