Amidst wind gusts clocked between 40MPH and 50MPH on Sunday, February 8, 2026, fire department personnel from all around Yellowstone County responded to a grass fire that first started near Yellowstone Trail in Huntley. By the end of the small inferno created by dry conditions and high winds 83-acres and one mobile home had been consumed according to Worden Volunteer Fire Department Chief Lance Taylor. According to Taylor, responders first received a call for service at 4:22pm for a grass fire. By 5pm, the fire has spread to the White Buffalo Trail subdivision where firefighters and neighbors were able to halt the fires spread but not before it claimed the home of Les Staebler.
Staebler stated that he was at home when the fire first started. “I saw the smoke, so I went for a drive to check on it. It saw four-wheelers and people running around but no flames and the smoke looked like it was dying down so I went back home. A little bit later my neighbor called and told me to look outside. The flames were right on top of my house, I only had time to grab the keys to my tractor and when I stepped outside the flames were 4ft to 5ft tall and through the smoke, I could barely see the tractor that was 15ft away. I took a deep breath and got in the tractor, prayed it would start, and drove blindly away through the smoke.”
Staebler was able to evacuate the area and responders from WVFD, Lockwood, Shepherd, Billings, and DNRC quickly arrived to battle the flames. All in all, the Staebler home was a complete loss as well as multiple vehicles located on the property. According to Dayna Rivinius, Staebler’s daughter, the home was uninsured due to the age of the mobile home, adding on to an already difficult situation. “So, between struggling with serious medical conditions [and] now losing his home… vehicles… clothes… we feel absolutely defeated,” stated Rivinius. A GoFundMe account has been set up by Rivinius to help her father during this tragedy. Those able to donate can do so via https://gofund.me/d8e2ec53b.
Despite the tragedy, Staebler is focusing on showing … Read full story here.
