MISSOULA — Montana fire crews are helping to fight one of the largest wildfires in Texas.
The Windmill Fire took on Friday, March 14, quickly blazing through hundreds of acres north of Amarillo.
The blaze was listed as 95% contained on Monday thanks to the personnel fighting the flames, including the Montana strike team.
The team includes firefighters from the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District and crews from other Montana agencies.
Twenty Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and 12 local government firefighters arrived on March 14.
“Because fire season has not yet started in Montana, the allocation of these resources to support other western states is both timely and critical,” said DNRC Deputy Fire Protection Chief Cory Calnan. “These deployments present opportunities to practice operational skills while addressing urgent wildfire management needs in affected regions."
The Windmill Fire remains the largest of the fires that broke out recently across the Lone Star State.
Texas is seeing an elevated fire threat this week due to strong winds and dry conditions.
