By Jason Stuart
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
County fire crews were kept busy on Monday with what turned out to be a couple of vehicle fires.
The Dawson County Rural Fire Department received a call at 10:25 a.m. Monday morning reporting a grass fire northwest of Glendive off of Highway 200S. The department responded with two grass rigs, a rescue rig, a water tender and seven firefighters. The department’s Lindsay-area satellite truck also responded.
Chief Richie Crisafulli said that before the fire crew even made it to the scene – which was about 15 miles out on 200S – they were made aware that the fire was actually contained to a combine which had been harvesting sunflowers. Upon arrival, they found the combine still on fire, but the blaze was still contained to the machine. The crew worked to put the fire out and returned to the station by 1 p.m. The combine, whose engine had caught fire, was likely a total loss, Crisafulli said.
A short while later, at 2:06 p.m., the West Glendive Fire Department was paged out to a report of a structure fire on O’Neal Street. The department responded with two engines, two rescue rigs, a water tender and 10 firefighters.
Upon arriving on scene, the fire crew discovered that the “structure” was actually a motor home parked out on the street. Firefighters succeeded in putting out the blaze by 3:30 p.m.
Crisafulli said the fire appears to have started in the area of the motor home’s refrigerator and that the vehicle was a total loss.
Reach Jason Stuart at rrreporter@rangerreview.com.