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Wildfire starts on Crow reservation

crow reservation fire.JPG
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Update 5:30 p.m.

The Blacktail Creek fire on the Crow Reservation was sparked by lightning Wednesday and has burned about 50 acres, Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesman Jon Kohn said.

No structures or homes are threatened, and the only current danger is to the scenery, Kohn said.

Six BIA smoke jumpers traveled from Miles City to fight the fire, along with BIA helicopters from Billings and Missoula, he said.

The fire is on the eastern side of the reservation.



(first report) Smoke jumpers and aerial crews are on their way to a fire that has sparked on the Crow reservation Wednesday.

The Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area posted aerial photos of the fire on their Facebook page, noting the fire is visible from both park districts.

No word on the size of the fire or where exactly it's located on the reservation southeast of Billings.

This new fire came roughly an hour after Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a state of emergency for wildfires in Montana, which frees up federal dollars and firefighting resources to fight the fires.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.