Reinforcements arrive to help with destructive Montana fires
HELENA, Mont. — Crews and equipment from 34 states arrived Monday to help fight four massive wildfires that have destroyed a dozen homes in eastern Montana and forced ranchers to let their livestock loose as the blazes spread unhindered across roads, rivers and man-made fire lines.
The reinforcements come from states from Alaska to Florida. They were particularly needed Monday, as shifting winds threatened another run by the fires in a rural area south of the Missouri River that have burned a combined 353 square miles (914 kilometres).
It’s the largest complex of fires in a state with 18 blazes burning, which is more than twice as many as Alaska, the next highest state with eight, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Many of the Montana fires were ignited by lightning strikes over the past week, and spread rapidly thanks to a heatwave and drought conditions.