Agencies fight wildfire east of the Pryor Mountains

The Lovell Volunteer Fire Department was one of several agencies that responded to a fire on the eastern flank of the Pryor Mountains Tuesday afternoon.

According to Chief Zach Blain, the fire ignited – likely by lightning – 16 miles north of the Montana-Wyoming border and three miles west of the Dryhead Ranch on Crow Reservation land.

Dispatched at 3:24 p.m., the LVFD responded with four trucks, two command trucks and 12 firefighters and arrived at the scene at the same time as a Bureau of Indian Affairs helicopter crew of four.

Ultimately, three helicopters were in action dropping water on the fire, along with a single-engine air tanker (10 to 15 drops) and a large air tanker (five drops) out of Billings, both of which dropped slurry, Blain said.

More personnel continued to deploy through the Montana Dept. of Natural Resources, Blain said, including 10 smoke jumpers and a six-engine strike team from the region.

The fire consumed around 100 acres before responding agencies knocked it down, Blain said. Lovell firemen cleared the scene around 9:30 p.m., and work continued Wednesday to fully suppress the fire.