February brush fire started by resident

A property owner’s decision to burn brush last week ended with the season’s first wildfire.
Last Thursday, Feb. 18, a 911 call came into dispatch at 2:35 p.m. from a man on Stillwater River Estates Road who was working on his water line and “decided to burn some brush in the area,” according to Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office dispatch records.
Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger said the property was on the Joliet Road in the Stillwater Estates subdivision and that the blaze burned uphill and got within 30 to 40 yards of the property owner’s home on Wizard Trail. Approximately four acres were burned.
Columbus Fire Rescue and Park City fire crews responded to the fire that spread quickly due to the wind. Several homes were close by.
By 3:29 p.m. the fire was contained to three to four acres in size.
The county’s burn permit system had been closed for the day due to weather conditions, but the property owner did not attempt to apply for a permit.

Dry Conditions
After starting the snow-year off with an above-normal amount of 19 inches in December, January swung in the opposite direction, recording 2.2 inches of snowfall compared to the normal amount of 6.5 inches in Columbus.
February is following suit with just a trace amount of snowfall recorded, compared to the normal amount of 5.6 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
At Mystic Lake it’s a similar story. December’s snowfall was 31.5 inches compared to the normal amount of 18.1 inches. In January, Mystic Lake saw just 4 inches of snowfall compared to the normal amount of 16.6 inches.
And so far in February, there has been just 3.5 inches, compared to the normal amount of 14.9 inches, according to the NWS.

Snowpack
Despite the lack of snow the last few months snowpack in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin was at 89 percent as of Wednesday, according to Todd Chambers of the NWS in Billings. However, Chambers said that snowpack along the front range of the Beartooth mountains is significantly lower.
“Interior sites are reporting 90 to 100 percent of normal snowpack while front range locations are at 50 to 75 percent of normal,” said Chambers. “Downslope winds and warm temperatures have really taken a toll on those front range locations.”
Also, the Stillwater River drainage is currently listed as “Slightly Dry” at this time.
“Given the lack of snow this month though I wouldn’t be surprised to see the March update to be a category drier,” said Chambers.
Weekend Forecast
Temperatures are expected to stay unseasonably warm through the weekend, with highs forecast to hit 60 degrees Friday and Saturday and 55 degrees Sunday. There is also a 40 percent chance of rain Saturday, according to the NWS.