In the foreground of the flames

To the outside world, the Indian Trail wildfire hung this week like an amorphous smokescreen in the background of their daily lives. But to those inside the fire lines, it was an all-too-familiar high-stakes game of chicken. It was Mother Nature challenging man, each testing boundaries the other set. Those involved - the firefighters and the flames - continually chose whether to make a stand or run. Greg Archie initially handled the strategy, overseeing more than 100 paid and volunteer firefighters. He's the fire program manager for the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He and his crews had a single-minded mission: To snuff out the 4,300-acre fire of unknown origin that started Wednesday near the trailers at Indian Trails Marina. That was good news to Scott Blackman, who owns the ranch that's burning. He was surprisingly calm watching the flames consume grass he needs for grazing his cattle and trees he could sell for lumber. One reason for the fifth-generation rancher's stoicism might be that he's been through this before, with major blazes in 1990 and 2007, and a few smaller ones in between. Another reason is that Archie and others include him in the decision-making process, asking him where the best spots are to cut in dozer lines as fire breaks, and where they might best make a stand. "This crew is good. They want to work with you, get to know the lay of the land," Blackman said...HelenaIndependentRecord