“I wish we'd had this party four weeks ago,” she quipped. “The rain would have put out the fires and saved the taxpayers a lot of money - and us a lot of worry and heartache.”
Hindsight is perhaps 20-20, but the truth of the Seeley Lake summer is now an indelible memory for those who endured it. On the same day that western Montana finally got the heavy rains that had been the hope of firefighters and area residents for the better part of two months, more than 150 townspeople came together to thank firefighters and celebrate the end of the fire that threatened to roast the community of Seeley Lake.
It was Mehl's idea to organize Sunday's “Fire's Out!” community celebration and appreciation event. She said she felt the community needed an opportunity to breathe a collective (and smoke-free) sigh of relief, and to thank the many professionals and volunteers who helped the community survive its closest call in decades.
“My house was my dream; I bought the lot and built it, so to see it threatened by fire was really hard,” said Kevin Wetherell, an Eagle Creek resident who watched the fire come right to his property line and burn part of his fence before a well-timed and well-placed retardant drop thwarted the advancing flames.
“You get a new perspective on what you value and who your neighbors are when something like this happens,” he said. “I think we all realize things could have been so much worse if it weren't for the people who came out and helped us.”
Many of those people were recognized at Sunday's event, including members of the Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Missoula County Sheriff's Department and the Seeley Lake Fire Department.
Food for the event was donated by area wholesale suppliers, including Costco and Sheehan Majestic, and the Highway 200 Band played music. The whole thing was organized by the Seeley Lake Community Foundation.
Residents who endured the fire weren't the only ones who came out to voice their appreciation. Some of the very professionals who were there to be thanked offered their own words of praise for the community.
“It's a special community, the people and the setting here, and every team (of firefighters) that I talked to said the same thing,” said Tim Love, district ranger for the Seeley Lake Ranger District. “It wasn't about people being mad at the agencies; the community was very supportive and appreciative toward people working throughout this fire, and that's really pretty unique. Some communities, you don't get that.”
Seeley Fire Chief Frank Maradeo, whose team of volunteers was cheered with a prolonged standing ovation at Sunday's event, said he was impressed with the community's willingness and flexibility to endure multiple evacuations.
“Normally you're lucky to get half the people to evacuate when you give the orders,” said Maradeo. “We got 95 to 98 percent compliance. Everybody really pulled together and put their trust in us.”
One of the more unusual organizations to be thanked for their assistance during the fire was Paws Up Ranch, the 37,000-acre luxury guest ranch located along the Blackfoot River just west of Clearwater Junction. The resort took in about 240 animals - from horses to chickens to cats - from evacuated residents of Seeley Lake, fed the animals and offered housing for some residents.
Mike Doud, the saddle club manager at Paws Up, had only been on the job for two weeks when the appeal for emergency animal housing came.
“It wasn't something in my job brochure, that's for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “It was a real baptism by fire. But we were sure glad we could be neighborly, because this was something that was hard on everybody.”
It was indeed hard. But it's over now - a fact that buoyed the mood in Seeley Lake on Sunday, turning those raindrops into mana from heaven.
“It's was an interesting six weeks,” Maradeo said. “Now, may we never speak of this fire again.”
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)