This Tuesday, June 15, 2021, photo released by the Bureau of Indian Affairs shows a wildfire fire burning on the canyon wall south of St. Xavier, Mont., on the Crow Indian Reservation. Record-high temperatures and gusting winds stoked a rapid expansion of major fires across central and eastern Montana. On the Crow Reservation, officials reported a new fire in the Bighorn Mountains near the Montana-Wyoming border. The fire was burning in steeply sided Little Bull Elk Canyon, with flames up to 150 feet (46 meters) high that threatened to spread the blaze rapidly, officials said.
Residents watch as flames from the Robertson Draw fire burn above Red Lodge, Mont., Tuesday evening, June 15, 2021. Wildfires burning in Montana exploded in size over the past 24 hours and triggered evacuations of people from rural areas as scorching heat and heavy winds stoked the blazes.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the Robertson Draw fire burns, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, south of Red Lodge, Mont. The fire grew rapidly Tuesday amid a heat wave and gusting winds.
A Broadwater County Sheriff’s deputy runs a roadblock as the Deep Creek Canyon fire burns outside Townsend, Mont., Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the Robertson Draw fire burns on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, south of Red Lodge, Mont. The fire grew rapidly Tuesday amid a heat wave and gusting winds.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the Robertson Draw fire burns south of Red Lodge, Mont., Tuesday, June 15, 2021. The fire grew rapidly Tuesday amid a heat wave and gusting winds.
This Tuesday, June 15, 2021, aerial photo released by the Bureau of Indian Affairs shows the Buffalo Pasture fire burning south of St. Xavier, Mont., on the Crow Indian Reservation. Record-high temperatures and gusting winds stoked a rapid expansion of major fires across central and eastern Montana. On the Crow Reservation, officials reported a new fire in the Bighorn Mountains near the Montana-Wyoming border. The fire was burning in steeply sided Little Bull Elk Canyon, with flames up to 150 feet (46 meters) high that threatened to spread the blaze rapidly, officials said.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana’s firefighting aircraft returned to duty Friday as officials sought even more personnel and aircraft ahead of a shift in the weather that could stir up a large blaze on the Wyoming border.
A red flag warning — indicating critical fire weather conditions — was issued for areas in southern Montana and northern Wyoming through Saturday evening. Dry and unusually warm weather, accompanied by gusts, was predicted.
A helicopter crash earlier this week grounded the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s fleet as major wildfires broke out.
An initial review released by the agency Friday blamed the crash landing on heavy winds. But it said the accident was preventable had the pilot followed procedures that would have given him more time to evaluate the conditions as the helicopter came in for a landing.
Five agency personnel were aboard the Bell UH-1H (Huey) helicopter when it crashed Tuesday alongside Highway 12, rolled and burned while returning to base during the fight against a fire east of Townsend.
A crew member kicked out a windshield so the occupants could escape, helped by a state trooper who came on the scene, the review said. The pilot had neck and back pain, and a crew member’s face was covered in blood, according to the review. All of the helicopter’s occupants were taken to hospitals and released later that night, officials said.
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