Small fire inside Western Bee
EMILY HEIMARK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
City of Polson Fire and Polson Rural Fire District responded to a potential building fire on Tuesday morning at the Sawdust Silo building at Western Bee Supplies Inc. (Emily Messer/Leader)
Emily Heimark (Messer) joined the Lake County Leader in July of 2025 after earning a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Montana. Emily grew up in the rolling hills of southeast Missouri. She's lived in Montana since 2022 and honed her reporting craft through the UM J-School newspaper and internships at the RMEF Bugle Magazine and the Missoulian. At the Leader, she covers government, business, education, agriculture and community news. Contact Emily Heimark at [email protected] or 406.883.4343 | October 14, 2025 12:30 PM
Around 10 a.m. on Oct. 14 a report of a building fire at Western Bee Supplies Inc. rang out across dispatch and quickly the City of Polson Fire Department arrived on scene.
When the first unit arrived on scene, smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the sawdust silo building, City of Polson fire chief Clint Cottle said. Cottle explained the first report said there was a small electric motor on fire.
By about 10:30 a.m. he reported that the fire was not causing any further damage, and crews were working on mop up. Due to the fire being a potential building fire, mutual aid was requested from Polson Rural Fire District.
Shortly after mutual aid was requested from local law enforcement and Polson Ambulance was requested to stand-by. This led to 15 people responding and two structure engines on scene.
ARTICLES BY EMILY HEIMARK
Proposed changes to City of Polson government to appear on ballot
The Polson Local Government Review Study Commission completed its report earlier this year, and the proposed changes to the city charter and supplementary report of action to be taken will appear on the November ballot.
Native cowboy from Mission Valley travels to Kyrgyzstan for Nomad World Games
Reaching down from the back of his horse, he grabs the goat carcass, a total of 80 pounds of dead weight, as dust strikes him in the face; the adrenaline rush is never-ending, and the physical demands on his body are unreal.
Rollins Fire completes community-funded addition and remodel
After outgrowing its space, the Rollins Volunteer Fire Department sought support from the community and raised $2.2 million to fund necessary upgrades and a station addition.