Wildfire Insanity
I think it is really odd a USFS spokesperson would say, “Part of the area burning was scheduled to undergo a prescribed burn anyway.” I wonder if the costs to fight a wildfire are the same as the costs associated with a controlled burn? Or what the people that have been called away from their “normal” life to go to fight the wildfire think about that statement? I also wonder if that’s what the USFS thought about the Pagami Creek Fire they started.
That statement makes me angry. Just because no lives or structures have been lost doesn’t make it “OK” to let a fire get out of control. It isn’t a good excuse for starting a wildfire during a very dry and dangerous time of the year.
The person who started the Ham Lake Fire by accident was held responsible for all costs associated with fighting the wildfire. Will the USFS person who signed off on the prescribed burn be held to the same standards? Or because “part” of the over 1000 acres was scheduled to be burned does that make it fine and dandy to torch the rest of the area?
We all make mistakes and most of us are held accountable for them. Will they be?
Fire crews make gains in BWCA
Although virtually all of the fire is in the BWCA, and the Crab Lake entry point is closed, officials said all other entry points are open and vacationers are going in regularly.
Part of the area burning was scheduled to undergo a prescribed burn anyway, said Rebecca Manlove, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire is burning over 1,008 acres, she said. About 279 firefighters are working on the burn, although that number is expected to drop Tuesday, as two volunteer departments are no longer needed, she said.
PAT PHEIFER
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