Bearpaw Season 2024

[bearpaw]

Yesterday could have been disastrous!

A friend called and said there was a fire that started close to our home near Colville and said if we needed help to give him a call back and he would come. I started searching fire websites to see exactly where the fire was located, at first nothing, then it showed up on this web page: https://app.watchduty.org/

The next place the fire showed up was on onx maps, but still not on some other fire web pages. (that was a surprise)
Now we could see the fire was only 8/10ths of a mile from us!

On a community facebook page I learned that the fire had expanded to 2 acres, then 2,5 acres, then the next update it was at 8 acres! That sort of sent me into panic mode, the breeze was blowing straight at us. We got sprinklers going next to the house hoping to get things soaked before the power company shut off power to the area.

Next we got out a chainsaw, filled it with fuel, and ready to cut, the plan was if the fire crossed the one road between us and the fire we would cut down every tree that's close to our house, falling them away from the house.

I gave my wife a short list of the unreplaceable things to get out of the house:
- The box of important papers
- Her hope chest with family keepsakes
- Photo Albums
- A few of my mounts with the best horns
I figured if we had to leave in a hurry to take the most unreplaceable things, most everything else could be replaced.

Other friends and family either called us or we called them and were on notice to come if the fire expanded much more. One friend with a water tank and pumper was headed our way, another friend called and said just let him know if he should bring his big horse trailer, he's only about 5 minutes away, another friend showed up with her horse trailer in tow to help save some of our belongings if needed. My wife called the older neighbor lady who didn't even know there was a fire, she told her to hookup her horse trailer so she could load her horse and leave if needed.

My next step was to get the tall ladder in the house so we could grab mounts off the high vaulted wall if needed.

About that time we got the first good news, a next door neighbor to the property on fire had jumped on his dozer and drove it cross country to the fire and had nearly dozed a ring around the fire, we had already seen a chopper flying back and forth with water, and according to the neighbor on the dozer it sounded like they had it nearly contained. WHEW!

Zach and Gilbert who were waiting to help out if needed decided to take the 3 hunters in camp hunting and headed out.

Thank god for good family, friends and neighbors, just knowing we had so much extra help if needed was monumental. Thankfully we were able to dodge that bullet and their help wasn't needed! I noticed this morning they estimated the fire burned 5.6 acres.

[teanawayslayer]

That’s not a good feeling at all. I’m glad it all worked out!

[kellama2001]

Almost had to evacuate from my house the other night also, with a fire 1 1/2 miles away. Thankfully no wind and they got it contained quickly. So glad your story had a happy ending as well! Good neighbors, friends and family are priceless!

[Ghost Hunter]

Good to hear you had the support and turned out for the best.  I kind of had that feeling with the Horn fire in 2018 a month after buying our property.  I'm currently at about 75% on thinning, raising the canopy, and chipping the last 6.7 acres of the 28 with timber. 

[nwwanderer]

Neighbors have saved my behind more than once, good out come, be careful out there

[Boss .300 winmag]

Great news it got stopped.👍

[bearpaw]

Thanks everyone!

Fire has destroyed a lot of people's lives, I feel fortunate they got it stopped before it really turned into a big out of control blaze. A huge shout out to the neighbor with the dozer and the DNR for getting a chopper and ground crew there quickly. Most of the area is comprised of lots ranging in size from 1 to 20 acres, a lot of homes would have burned.

It seems like the DNR has stepped up their response and putting out these fires faster in the last couple years.

[WapitiTalk1]

Holy heck, that’s scary stuff right there.  Good on DNR and others for getting it controlled.

[bearpaw]

Been seeing a few bucks, but nothing real big

[bearpaw]

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[bearpaw]

couple more recent pics

[bearpaw]

Caught one of of the biggest brookies yet, snapped a photo and slid him back in the pond.

[bearpaw]

Went night fishing with some friends, about 6 times I had double hookups, we were busy cleaning fish for a couple hours. There's no limit on catfish, bluegill, or crappie where we were fishing. Fish for the freezer and we had big outdoor fish fry yesterday afternoon, great eating, I think I was fuller than the last time I had Skipper's all-you-can-eat fish & chips!

[pianoman9701]

Looks like fun.

[bearpaw]

more trailcam pics