Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Montana firefighters to join battle against Canadian wildfires

A firefighter sprays water from a fire hose onto smoldering grass as smoke rises up.
iStock
File photo: A firefighter sprays water on a smoldering fire.

Montana firefighters will join others from around the U.S. in helping Canadian fire crews battle 100 active fires in Alberta.

The National Interagency Coordination Center is sending more firefighting resources to assist Canadian crews that have been fighting active and out-of-control wildfires for weeks.

The coordination center fulfilled Canada’s first request for support last week, including two Montana hotshot crews.

It’s now sending 85 firefighters and incident managers, some from Montana, as well as more firefighting equipment. There are over 600 U.S. personnel and firefighting resources now assigned to fires in Alberta.

Smoke from the fires has blanketed most of Montana and North Dakota. Many communities have experienced unhealthy levels of smoke, but some have reached hazardous air quality.

Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
Become a sustaining member for as low as $5/month
Make an annual or one-time donation to support MTPR
Pay an existing pledge or update your payment information