antlerradar
Well-known member
Early in the morning of July 12 I was waken by the sound of thunder. Just to the south of me was catching a lot of lightning. At one point my wife could smell smoke, but the wind shifted and it was gone. Got up with the sun and there was a big fire ripping to the south. (Deadman fire). My friend from the forest service called and said that the lookout a Poker Jim spotted another start much closer, but could not pinpoint it in the dark, so dad and I went looking for it, but could not find as there was just enough rain to lay it down and the smoke from the Deadman fire made visibility very poor. Figured that it would show up when the day started to get hot. so we got the fire gear ready. The call came at 1:30. Jumped in the Side by side and raced to the top of the hill. On the way up I could see three new starts putting up smoke. In all I think there was close to 15 starts from that storm. From the top of the hill it was obvious that I was out matched with hand tools, so back down the hill to help dad load the D3 cat and get the pickup and sprayer. The fire started on a steep ridge covered in juniper and pine. When I got there, it was just a three man crew from the Custer, two locals and the county road grader. Unfortunately the terrain was just way to steep for the road grader to do much good. We were quickly overwhelmed and made a retreat to the ridges to the south, west and east, where we put in fire line with the road grader and cat. About that time ten smoke jumpers arrived. 
With the help of the smoke jumpers and a favorable wind we were able to hold the east line, not so lucky with the south line and that compromised the west line. There was still no line to the north. That was how the first day ended. The next day we were back at it in the morning we were back at it and with reinforcements, two or three DNRC crews and a D6 cat. We backed off on the south and put in a new line and built line on the north and west. Much of the North side was too rough for the cats, so the smoke jumpers put that line in by hand. The wind was favorable on the east side and we were able to burn out the entire east side and some of the north line.
County road grader putting in line on the north side. Fire jumped this line, but we were able to knock it down and put in another line a few hundred yards up the hill.
Burn out on the NE corner. I wouldn't have bet that we would hold that line with the way the pines were torching, but we did.
I went home that night about 11:00 Sunday night feeling good. The east side, a mile of the north side and some of the south was black to the line, the fire had for the most part ran into natural barriers to the south and west. The north side was just creeping down hill against the wind to the north.
That changed about 1:00. A dry thunder storm came up from the south and with it 30 mph winds. I got the call from the sheriff office around 1:30 that the fire had jumped the north line and the house was in danger. I knew that they were looking for dad and not me, so I gave them dad's number and started to get dressed. Dad calls me minutes later and says to bring the side by side and we will run up the hill to see how bad it is. He was not that concerned as he had yet to look out the back door. A few minutes later he calls back, now with much more concern. "bring the pumper and git here quick. When I went to sleep the fire was close to two miles from dad's house, When he looked out the back door at 1:30 it was racing down the big hill behind his house. The fire had covered a mile and a half of the two miles in about thirty minutes.Fortunate there is a lot of dirt cliffs and a 1/4 mile of grazed out pasture between the house and the juniper covered hill. The wind shifted with the passing of the thunder storm and the fire for the most part burned out on the dirt banks and green creek bottom. That was the start of Monday.
Looking south at the hill behind dad's house, Not many green trees left. Dad's house is just out of the picture to the east.
Lots more man power and equipment arrived Monday and the fire fighters were able to put in a new line the north and burn it out.
Burning out the north side of the fire.
The south side was a different story. With a stiff wind and hot temps behind it the fire raged. About all you could do was set back and watch and try to keep it from jumping the county road.
Pictures from the county road. With the wind mostly blowing parallel to the road we were able to keep the fire from jumping.
On Tuesday a fire management team took over and my job shifted to helping neighbors with livestock. There was no stopping the fire.
The McGhee fire on Tuesday evening
Still put up a lot of smoke today, and I am sure the fire is far from controlled.
With the help of the smoke jumpers and a favorable wind we were able to hold the east line, not so lucky with the south line and that compromised the west line. There was still no line to the north. That was how the first day ended. The next day we were back at it in the morning we were back at it and with reinforcements, two or three DNRC crews and a D6 cat. We backed off on the south and put in a new line and built line on the north and west. Much of the North side was too rough for the cats, so the smoke jumpers put that line in by hand. The wind was favorable on the east side and we were able to burn out the entire east side and some of the north line.
County road grader putting in line on the north side. Fire jumped this line, but we were able to knock it down and put in another line a few hundred yards up the hill.
Burn out on the NE corner. I wouldn't have bet that we would hold that line with the way the pines were torching, but we did.
I went home that night about 11:00 Sunday night feeling good. The east side, a mile of the north side and some of the south was black to the line, the fire had for the most part ran into natural barriers to the south and west. The north side was just creeping down hill against the wind to the north.
That changed about 1:00. A dry thunder storm came up from the south and with it 30 mph winds. I got the call from the sheriff office around 1:30 that the fire had jumped the north line and the house was in danger. I knew that they were looking for dad and not me, so I gave them dad's number and started to get dressed. Dad calls me minutes later and says to bring the side by side and we will run up the hill to see how bad it is. He was not that concerned as he had yet to look out the back door. A few minutes later he calls back, now with much more concern. "bring the pumper and git here quick. When I went to sleep the fire was close to two miles from dad's house, When he looked out the back door at 1:30 it was racing down the big hill behind his house. The fire had covered a mile and a half of the two miles in about thirty minutes.Fortunate there is a lot of dirt cliffs and a 1/4 mile of grazed out pasture between the house and the juniper covered hill. The wind shifted with the passing of the thunder storm and the fire for the most part burned out on the dirt banks and green creek bottom. That was the start of Monday.
Looking south at the hill behind dad's house, Not many green trees left. Dad's house is just out of the picture to the east.
Lots more man power and equipment arrived Monday and the fire fighters were able to put in a new line the north and burn it out.
Burning out the north side of the fire.
The south side was a different story. With a stiff wind and hot temps behind it the fire raged. About all you could do was set back and watch and try to keep it from jumping the county road.
Pictures from the county road. With the wind mostly blowing parallel to the road we were able to keep the fire from jumping.
On Tuesday a fire management team took over and my job shifted to helping neighbors with livestock. There was no stopping the fire.
The McGhee fire on Tuesday evening
Still put up a lot of smoke today, and I am sure the fire is far from controlled.
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