Nails and Tires Don’t Mix

GLENDIVE, Mont. – Four hundred and forty-four pounds of nails. That’s right, 440 pounds of nails were dug from the dirt and hauled to the dump where they belong.

Once upon a summertime at the Glendive Short Pine OHV Area, a landowner hopped into his truck to drive over and investigate something that usually gives people the willies during the height of fire season: a flickering orange glow beckoning in the distance.  

Fortunately, what he discovered was not an out-of-control wildfire. But unfortunately, a gaggle of teenagers were having fun around a pallet fire. The group split for other parts, and instead of drowning their fire, unfortunately, they left it. Just the way it was.  

Now how many of us have (since grade school) have been told to never leave a campfire unattended? Apparently, not these guys. But then, a “Minor in Possession” charge might have played a part here.

Long story short; the vigilant landowner contacted law enforcement, and the party-gang was quickly identified. An investigation ensued, confessions were given and to their credit, the teens accepted responsibility for their actions. That was a good call and should give everyone hope for the future of society.  

Part of their restitution was to "volunteer" their sweat and muscle to clean up the mess and make things as right as possible. More to their credit. 

So why are pallets such an unpopular fire fuel?  

Unpopular, that is, with the people stuck with the mess, because pallets have nails. And nails and tires don't mix well under any circumstances, and particularly when they are littering a place like this nationally renowned fun spot west of Glendive, in Dawson County.  

Imagine having a nail ruin your day after taking time off work, investing in a spendy motorized toy and heading to one of the few, large, OHV fun places in the country. That pesky little bit of iron can be quite the hindrance to a person's search for solitude.

That's where we arrive at the 440 pounds of little tire flatteners scattered in the dirt, waiting for a juicy tire to impale. Our "volunteers” managed to scrape up enough nails to fill several five-gallon buckets. Because they didn't just pick up the nails that they had left. They also got to pick up nails left by other party-hardy-pallet packing fire-starters.  

Take home point: Don't burn pallets on Public Land. Never leave your campfire unattended until it’s dead and cold. Especially during fire season. Of the more than 2,050 wildfires recorded in Montana this year, roughly 18 to 19 percent (370 to 390 starts) were human-caused, according to Northern Rockies Coordination Center seasonal reports.  

Class dismissed!

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