New Retardant Saves Home from Browning Fire

Earlier this month two fires near Browning burned through 18,000 acres...forcing families to evacuate and fire crews to fight flames for more than 14 hours.

But one product in particular may be the reason why so little damage was done.

"When he told me, send everything you got, I knew it was going to be bad," East Glacier Fire Chief Ben Steele said.

Gusting 60 mile per hour winds, made flames from the “Boy” fire worse…pushing them 15 feet into the sky.

"We had flames as high as the hood of our truck," Steele said.

Those flames headed straight toward a row of 16 houses just miles outside of Browning.

"My daughter literally drove over the flames that were going over the road by then," said homeowner Darnell Doore.

The Doores were some of the first people evacuated. Their home was at the front of the row of homes…nearest to the flames.

"It's right by the shed, it's getting to the house," homeowner Robert "Smokey" Doore said. "I said well, I can't sit here, I've got to go see what I can do."

Ben Steele and the East Glacier volunteer fire department rushed to the scene, their truck filled with a new fire retardant, never before tested.

"We decided to deploy the FireIce," Steele said.

Steele began dousing the Doores house with the mixture, a gel that coats exteriors without water damage or noxious chemicals and won't burn away.

"This stuff has done stuff we previously were never able to do with water," said Assistant Fire Chief Ken Hanks. "What's amazing is that you can take a product like this, and eat it."

The product is more expensive than foam, ranging around $170 per 5 gallons.

"A lot of fire departments can't afford that," Hanks said.

When the Black Eagle Fire Dept. heard East Glacier had put the solution to use, they were eager to find out the results.

"I just couldn't believe that everything we didn't touch with that FireIce was a pile of ashes," Steele said.

The Doores house stood tall…blackened, burnt fields all around it. Steele believes it has everything to do with his department's willingness to invest in the new retardant.

"We're going to definitely be using it on any structure we can across," Steele said.

East Glacier and Black Eagle are two of just a handful of the fire departments around Montana willing to pay double for FireIce.

"We decided to do a little investment to see how it would work," Steele said. "And I'm really glad we did."

Even with small budgets, dependent on bake sales and donations, they agree with paying the higher price for this product.

"I think what it really boils down to is getting with their constituents, the tax payers, and letting them know they do have the capability of getting involved and doing a better job with a product like this whether that's through donations, findraising, grants," Hanks said.

And if you ask the Doores, no price can be put on a home.

"Today we give thanks for what we do have, we have our life, our family, our home," Doore said.

Fires are expected to worsen as the season warms. Fire departments urge fire fighters who have not already tested FireIce to do just that.