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Border Patrol Agents Help Save Home from Brush Fire

Release Date
Tue, 09/01/2015

CURLEW, Wash - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Curlew Station helped save a home at the intersection of Customs Rd. and Catherine Circle after call put out from Ferry County Sheriff’s Office.

View of the fire from the home at the intersection of Customs Road and Catherine Circle

View of brush fire threatening home at the intersection of Customs Rd. and Catherine Circle

At approximately 12 p.m. on Aug. 29, the Curlew Border Patrol Station was notified by the Ferry County Sheriff’s Office that a brush fire was threatening a residence at the intersection of Customs Rd. and Catherine Cr.  A Curlew agent hearing the call come over the radio, responded to the call and found the area to be engulfed with fire, with it spreading quickly up the hill towards the rear of a house. Upon arriving at the scene an agent quickly identified that the house had no occupants and reported over his service issued radio that he was going to see what he could do with the water from the house and his shovel. Moments later three more Border Patrol agents arrived on scene and began using shovels to throw dirt on the fire around the residence and create fire breaks around the house.

U.S. Border Patrol agents putting out fires on the edge of property

U.S. Border Patrol agents putting out fires on the edge of the property

“These agents went above and beyond to protect this home from being taken over by fire,” said Acting Spokane Sector Chief Patrol Agent Tim Sullivan. “This is a testament to the toughness and resolve Border Patrol agents have for protecting the communities that we live and work in.”

Throughout the course of the next hour, several more fire teams arrived with more firefighters, water trucks, and a bulldozer.  After getting the field fire under control the Curlew agents all turned to the fire spots still burning at the edge of the property and went from spot to spot putting out fires near the road so that the fire wouldn’t spread to the dry fields across the street.

Agents were able to clear the scene at approximately 1:15 p.m. as nine fire teams continued to fight the fire.

Wildfire updates can be located at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center or the Incident Information System at the InciWeb.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021