A Schuylkill County fire forester recently returned from fighting wildfires in Montana.

Jake Novitsky, a fire forester with the Weiser Forest District, which covers Schuylkill, Carbon, Dauphin, Columbia, Lebanon, Northumberland and Montour arrived home Aug. 5 after fighting the Black Mountain fire and Harris Mountain fire. That 1,041-acre Black Mountain fire is located 13 miles south of Jackson. It is 90% contained. Lightning caused the July 17 fire, according to the website inciweb.nwcg.gov. The Harris Fire, which also started by lightning, ignited July 23 and is about 7 miles from Cascade. It is 31,603 acres and 74% contained.

Novitsky drove from Harrisburg to Dillon, arriving July 20. His first day fighting the fires was July 21. He stayed for three days along with 19 other people on his crew from the Weiser Forest District. At both fires, 16-hour days were not uncommon. Temperatures were in the 90s.

“You couldn’t get to the fire because it was so remote,” he said.

Upon arrival, he estimated the fire was 3,000 acres. When he left July 23, it was about 5,000 acres. Novitsky was crew boss or a supervisor. The group worked to prevent the fire from advancing in their direction by removing fuels such as trees, shrubs, brush and taking other actions to limit the potential fire spread.

They slept in nearby college dorm rooms and had their meals for free.

“It was nice,” he said.

They were then reassigned to the Harris Mountain fire, arriving July 24 and leaving to Aug. 4.

Upon arrival, the fire was about 3,000 acres.

Unlike the Black Mountain fire, they came within feet of flames. Novitsky said the fire was about 3 feet high at times. Protecting the grasslands and structures was their primary responsibility. By saving the grasslands, the cattle would have a food source, he said. Aircraft dropped water and flame retardant to extinguish the fire nearby. Elsewhere, the crew protected houses by removing anything that would ignite, such as trees, shrubs and bushes.

“We had to clear away fuels within 10 feet of a structure,” Novitsky said.

Sprinklers were sometimes installed on houses, most of which are in the mountains.

“We met every resident” of each property they helped to save, he said.

Accommodations consisted of tents at a ranch. When food or drinks were needed they didn’t have, the group went into town. Often their food was paid for by the locals. When they went to eat at a restaurant, the meal was free because the residents paid for it.

“The amount of hospitality out there for us was tremendous,” Novitsky said.