BIRNEY — Rosebud County Sgt. Joshua Jonas knows just how quickly wildfires can spread.
Jonas was driving his patrol vehicle through the Remington fire in southeast Montana last week whenhis dash cam captured the encroaching flames along a back road. He managed to escape, and the sheriff's office posted his harrowing journey on social media to highlight the danger.
“We thought it'd be good to post that video just to show individuals that it might look relatively safe going in, especially with people that don't know what they're looking at or seeing. Doesn't mean it can't change in a hurry. Our best piece of advice is, if it's on fire, stay away," said Jonas.
The Remington fire devastated southeast Montana, burning nearly 200,000 acres. As of Thursday, the fire is 66% contained, according to MT Fire Info.
“It burned almost 200,000 acres and it's a big recreational area, so we try and get out and make sure people are aware of fires coming," said Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton.
Sgt. Joshua Jonas was driving southeast on Cow Creek Road near Birney to check on a nearby campsite. He had seen other travelers in the area and warned them to evacuate before the fire spread.
“That's kind of what led me going down that road is just because I knew there were some tents on that road prior,” said Jonas.
That fairly routine check quickly turned into a heated situation. What once was green land was suddenly met with black, surrounding him in a wall of flames.
"There's multiple areas where I came into, there's no fire around. And by the time I'm leaving, it's on both sides of the road,” said Jonas. “When I felt the big gust of wind come through and I saw the blazes come up and I just knew that was a bad spot to be in. I had one thought on my mind at that point. That was to get out of there."
As the flames grew higher around him, he backed up the vehicle until he was able to fully turn around. The fire had spread rapidly, but due to quick thinking, the deputy was able to escape.
“I was nervous. That'd be the best way to put that," said Jonas.
The video was posted online and gained plenty of attention, both negative and positive on the deputy's actions. Jonas says that there are some things he could have done differently, but in a quick situation, he knows how lucky he was to have escaped.
“Some people over credit my bravery, sometimes it's just me doing my job. I wasn't thinking anything of that," said Jonas. "Absolutely watching video, it looked like I could turn around sooner before I hit that ledge and I wish I would have. You wouldn't have seen me back up like I did.”
Nearly a week later, the same area looks much different. While the flames are gone, the scars of the fire still remain. Many trees, land, and livestock were lost.
“One of these trees was still on fire and just heard a crack and it just came crashing down and that's what you worry about. The windstorm comes through it's going to knock a bunch of these down especially any that really burned,” recounted Fulton.
The department has been patrolling the area since the fire spread to Montana. He says they did what they could to assist others, especially those living in the area who nearly lost their homes.
"A lot of the houses are in the path of this thing. There’s a fire line and that saved them. It burned right up to the house," said Fulton.
Fulton says that the department wants to make sure everyone stays safe when wildfires occur and that Jonas did was doing his duty that day.
"If there's smoke, there's fire, so we try and go the opposite direction is what we'd want. In this case, we have to go towards it just so people are aware of what's happening in the area," said Fulton.
