Pumpkin Fire nears containment
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the Pumpkin Fire burning southwest of Miles City, MT
(Photo by Elizabeth Patten)
(MILES CITY, Mont.) – The Pumpkin Fire burning 15 miles southwest of Miles City in eastern Montana, is now 75-percent contained. Evacuation orders have been lifted allowing residents to return home.
A temporary flight restriction remains in place for the area as large air tankers, single engine air tankers, helicopters, engines and heavy equipment from multiple agencies and departments are working to contain and suppress the fire, now estimated at 1,289 acres.
Twelve federal, state and county engines along with a U.S. Forest Service, Type 2 Initial Attack hand crew are assigned to the fire.
“All-in-all, the strong coordination efforts with the aviation and ground resources allowed us to hit it really hard and we were able to knock it down relatively fast,” said Craig Howells, BLM Fire Management Officer.
No structures have been lost. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire information can be found here- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6927/
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.