BNSF Railway was found responsible for a small fire in Sanders County that sparked Aug. 11 midway between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek, according to Forest Service officials.

The 1.1-acre blaze ignited 20 feet from a set of train tracks along the west bank of the Clark Fork River, just north of Childs Road, said Trout Creek Fire Chief John Gubel. Volunteer fire departments from Trout Creek and Thompson Falls, joined by the Kootenai National Forest, responded to the incident just before 1 p.m.  

Reports of black smoke came in at 12:37 p.m., from a witness on Blue Side Road in Grimes Creek, Gubel said. Fire personnel reached Blue Side Road before realizing the fire was on the opposite bank, tacking an additional 20 minutes to their response time. 

They got to work dousing the flames as it blazed on the edge of a dense forest. The fire was spreading up a hill, where several homes are perched, at a quick pace, Gubel said. A helicopter arrived and carried water to the fire from a reservoir. Responders contained the fire within an hour, and it was snuffed within two. 

It was a hot and dry afternoon, Gubel said, which makes for dangerous fire weather. Fortunately, there was only a light breeze.   

“It could have been so much worse,” he said. “If it had been a windy day, it might have been a different picture.” 

The availability of resources, quick response and lack of wind gusts helped firefighters stop the fire quickly, Gubel said. Flames had spread at a fast pace, and it likely would have caused widespread damage.  

Forest Service officials determined that the spark came from the BNSF Railway train tracks, according to the Kootenai Interagency Dispatch Center. BNSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  

THE SMALL blaze, dubbed Childs Fire, sparked a week before the three-year anniversary of the River Road East Fire, a 17,310-acre inferno that destroyed at least 15 homes and 55 additional structures in Sanders County. 

Ten property owners sued BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link in October 2023, arguing that the fire was started by a passing railcar. Witnesses saw the flames sparked near a BNSF Railway tack in Paradise on Aug. 18, 2023, according to court documents. The lawsuit now lists more than 90 plaintiffs representing roughly 40 properties. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation joined plaintiffs in the suit as an intervenor on April 23. 

Residents pointed fingers at BNSF Railway again, two years later, when the Knowles Fire sparked near Paradise on Aug. 20, 2025. The blaze scorched more than 3,800 acres before it was contained on Sept. 6, 2025. It burned property owned by some of the same families that saw losses from the River Road East Fire in 2023, according to attorney Teague Westrope, who represents plaintiffs in the suit against BNSF and Montana Rail Link. 

Lolo National Forest concluded its investigation of the River Road East Fire in early May and handed it over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of General Counsel. 

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.