Frenchtown Rural Fire Department Helps Save Home After Fire Destroys Garage

Early Monday morning, The Frenchtown Rural Fire department was called out to help deal with a fire in Lake County.

"Just after midnight there was a fire that broke out just south of Arlee," said Frenchtown Rural Fire Department Public Information Officer Mel Holtz. "Arlee responded and they needed additional crews and assistance so we sent up two engines and a water tender to assist. They had a fully engulfed  shop or garage fire that was just within a few feet from the main residence."

Holtz says he was happy to get volunteers to respond to the blaze in an era when firefighting volunteerism appears to be on the decline.

"We're happy to get some help up there to help them out. In Montana generally, we're seeing a volunteer shortage, so the numbers and the turnout for these calls is slowly dwindling," Holtz said. "Additional manpower and resources is always needed and appreciated. It's a great networking group and a great group of folks that are willing to cross borders and help neighbors out."

The fire completely destroyed the garage, but the home was protected and no people were injured. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.