County Commission Update

Hi Folks,

At our meeting on the 22nd, someone said we had been pretty fortunate in Jefferson County that we hadn’t had any big fires since they were all around us and it was so dry. Thursday we got hit twice. The first fire reported was in the North end near Holmes Gulch. It was just above the base where the air tankers are stationed. It was also very close to Helena, and when it started it was headed toward Helena, so it got a lot of attention very fast. It ended up in the bottom or Holmes Gulch and was contained there within a couple of days.

The other fire started in Conrow Gulch Northeast of Whitehall. I was surprised by how much air support we received during the initial attack, considering how many other fires are going on. This fire has grown to over 2,700 acres as of Tuesday morning, but is now about 60% contained. I have been going to meetings at 6:00, 7:00, and 4:00 each day. We held a Public meeting at the Community Center in Whitehall Sunday evening, and we are holding another Public meeting on Antelope Lane off of the Whitetail at noon on Tuesday. Everyone involved with the fire have been great to work with. The Incident Command Center and crews are currently stationed at the Rodeo Grounds and Ball Fields in Whitehall. As far as I know at this time, we have not lost any structures in either fire.

FYI: Albert Einstein; “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”