Taking a dip
This helicopter takes a dip out of Blue Bay to drop on the fire a few hundred yards up the side of the mountain in mid-August before the blaze got out of control. A very wet spring followed by a very dry summer were the perfect conditions for fire storms throughout Western Montana. By the time schools re-opened, the yellow layer of smoke threatened some athletic events and kept susceptible people indoors. As The Beagle went to press, the worst air quality was still upon us with no end in sight.
