By Josh Margolis
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Havre Animal Control Officer Pete Federspiel spoke with New Media Broadcasters on Tuesday morning to discuss the wildfire on the night of July 4th that forced the evacuation of the Animal Shelter.
Federspiel says that he was already up at the shelter with his family helping keep animals calm when they were given the call to evacuate.
“We got a phone call from somebody down the road that says there were flames coming up the hill. We kind of just went out and started dumping water on the back of the shelter. The City Shop, they had a crew that was over here watching fireworks also that grabbed two water trucks and put water both on the building and on the fire. Which was just amazing. It’s I think what saved the building.”
Federspiel says that although no humans or animals were injured in the fire, one feral cat escaped and remains at large, and two people had to go to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries while putting cats in crates.
“From what I understand, they are not severe. They just (had injuries that) needed to be cleaned and may be on some antibiotics, but they are not severe. They are minor injuries.”
Although Havre Fire Chief Mel Paulson says the fire was caused by fireworks, he says they are unsure what specific firework led to the incident. However, Federspiel says he is certain that it was a bottle rocket.
“(The bottle rocket was found) directly down the hill from the shelter, by Highway 2, is where it originated from. Because it stopped, there’s a gap that’s still green between the highway and where it started. (Monday) morning, when I was walking around down there, the firework was still right where the burn pattern started.”
“People just need to use more caution when they are setting (fireworks) off,” Federspiel added. “This one looks like it came from someone driving on the highway and just launched it out of a vehicle. That’s not using common sense.”
Bottle rockets and roman candles were legalized by the 2021 Montana Legislature after previously being banned in the state.
“I think those are the ones that should probably be banned again,” says Federspiel. “Those are the ones that are probably the most dangerous and are the ones that are starting some of these fires.”
Federspiel says he is grateful for the numerous volunteers that showed up to help out the Shelter in a time of need.
“The community is a fantastic supporter of the shelter, and it showed with how many people came running here to help.”
He adds that this incident will lead to some changes in procedure at the shelter.
“There’s a lot of lessons and procedures and things that we’re going to do here at the shelter. When I started here, I did some mowing around the shelter, just to kind of back the vegetation away from the building. That helped a lot. And as far as the animals here at the shelter, there are some procedures we’re going to have to put into place for when people don’t know how to handle the animals or haven’t been here, that they can assist. Some things like having some keys to the entry points available, having some protective equipment such as things like gloves for handling cats, to prevent those injuries.”
The Havre Police Department says that this fire took place just outside of city limits, so any charges or citations would come from the Hill County Sheriff’s Department.
Hill County Undersheriff Stan Martin says no citations or charges were issued related to fireworks over the weekend, and he is not aware of any ongoing investigations.
