Hundreds jam fire information meeting

By JOAN HAINES Chronicle Staff Writer

GALLATIN GATEWAY -- The Gallatin Gateway Community Center was packed with an estimated 225 people sitting, standing against the walls and listening to loudspeakers on a walkway outside the building to hear about the fight against Purdy fire Sunday night.

More winds are in the forecast in the Wilson Creek drainage for Monday, Ron Hvizdak, fire behavior analyst, told the crowd.

"Tomorrow (Monday) will be a test for us," Hvizdak said. "If we get through tomorrow, I think we'll be in pretty good shape."

The Purdy fire, which came to life early Wednesday morning, has already consumed 4,600 parched acres in the Gallatin National Forest as of Sunday evening.

To illustrate how severe a drought the area is experiencing, Hvizdak said the average annual rainfall in the area totals 14 inches. This year the area has gotten only 7 inches.

On Monday or Tuesday, the Gallatin County Sheriff's Department and Forest Service officials will be looking at whether to open a section of Highway 191 near the Little Bear Road, Undersheriff Rob Christie said before the meeting. The decision will be based on how the fire is behaving.

New district ranger of the Bozeman Ranger District, Joe Castro, who's been on the job only three weeks, said fire managers have changed mottoes since the blaze was first started by lightning last week.

The motto used to be "when you dance with a bear, you'd better let the bear lead," he said. Now it's "the best offense is a good defense."

"I wish they could have nailed it on Wednesday,'' said Cindy Nelson, who has been watching the fire with her family from their home on Hawk Hill Road.

A Type I incident management team ...quot; the cream of the crop of fire managers ...quot; took over the Purdy fire Saturday night. Steve Frye, the head of the Type 1 team, complimented the work of the Gallatin Gateway Fire Department, as well as other departments that have helped fight the blaze.

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