fires

According to MT FWP, "Wildfires burning near Tongue River Reservoir State Park prompted a voluntary evacuation of visitors to the park Saturday evening."

Governor Gianforte: "It's a lot easier to fight a weenie roast than it is one of these huge conflagrations that we see when things get out of control."

For years, officials have been working to protect the Bozeman water supply through the Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project. The fear is that if a major fire swept through, it would jeopardize the water supply.

A big fundraiser to help the victims of the fire in Denton, Montana is coming up soon in Lewistown. I caught up with Brock Linker, one of the firefighters who was battling the blaze that ended up destroying several homes and the historic grain elevators in town after an early December fire.

"It just felt like the world was coming down around us. It was pretty intense." That's how Fergus County Fire Warden Ryan Peterson described the firefight in Denton, Montana last week as crews worked to battle the fire both in town, and out of town- as ashes rained down from the sky.

The Carbon County Sheriff's Office says 55 year old John Lightburn of Bridger was arrested and charged with negligent arson and criminal mischief- both felonies.

Adverse wind conditions forced the hard landing of a Montana DNRC helicopter that caught fire near Townsend last week. This is according to a report released by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation following a review of the incident.

Bottom line up front: "There are still no plans to evacuate the city of Red Lodge." -US Forest Service Public Information Officer Billy Chapman.

A Montana DNRC helicopter went down near Townsend, but all crew members are reportedly safe thanks to the quick actions of law enforcement and a DNRC employee.