Montana/Region

Pilot killed in wildfire was former MSU player

Published on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 3:40pm

HELENA (AP) — A Montana man who died when the helicopter he was piloting crashed while fighting an Oregon wildfire was a former basketball player at Montana State University and flew search and rescue missions for the Gallatin County sheriff’s office, authorities said Wednesday. 

Tom Duffy of Bozeman died in Monday’s crash in Mount Hood National Forest while he was helping fight the White River Fire. Duffy had been making water drops on the fire for several days, officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of crash.

Neighbors with hoses target fires as Calif. firefighters urge them to stop

Published on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 3:39pm

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — With California firefighters strapped for resources, residents have organized to put out flames themselves in a large swath of land burning south of San Francisco, defending their homes despite orders to evacuate and pleas by officials to get out of danger.

Montana halts transfers from 3 jails with COVID-19 outbreaks

Published on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 3:00pm

BILLINGS (AP) — Montana officials said Tuesday they have suspended the transfer of state inmates out of three county jails because of COVID-19 outbreaks at the facilities that combined have infected more than 90 inmates and staff.

The outbreaks come as authorities overseeing jails in Billings and Great Falls have pressed state officials to remove some inmates to reduce crowding. 

University of Wyo. announces seven new COVID-19 cases

Published on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 3:00pm

Testing has identified another seven cases of COVID-19 among members of the University of Wyoming community, the school announced Wednesday.

Those cases include three UW employees in Laramie, two students living off campus in Laramie, one student living off campus in Casper and one student who lives in Colorado.

The new cases were identified in the past six days; all were found off campus, the school said.

Weather, reinforcements helping blazes in California wildfire fight

Published on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 4:06pm
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VACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters hard-pressed by some of the largest wildfires in California history scrambled Wednesday to take advantage of cooler weather and an influx of aid as they carved and burned containment lines around the flames to prevent more land from burning.

“Every percent of containment is hours and hours of sweat and blood up on those lines,” Jonathan Cox, a deputy chief with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Tuesday evening.

Region Shorts

Published on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 4:05pm

Pilot in deadly Oregon crash worked for Montana chopper firm

THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — A helicopter pilot who died late Monday while fighting a wildfire in Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest worked for a private company based in Bozeman, Montana that was under contract for aerial firefighting with the U.S. Forest Service, authorities said Tuesday.

“This kind of news is never easy,” said Suzanne Flory, a spokeswoman for the Forest Service. “We have very limited information at this time but an investigation has started and it is ongoing.”

Active COVID-19 cases rise to daily high in North Dakota

Published on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 4:05pm

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Active coronavirus cases in North Dakota rose to another new daily high on Wednesday.

Health officials said the number of active cases was 1,784 on Wednesday, an increase of 103 from the previous high set Tuesday. North Dakota’s death toll remained at 138 as of Wednesday. 

North Dakota on Wednesday remained in the “low” risk level under Gov. Doug Burgum’s ND Smart Restart Plan, which provides coronavirus-related protocols for everything schools and businesses to family gatherings.

Bear Creek fire SW of Dillon at 11,236 acres

Published on Tue, 08/25/2020 - 3:05pm
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The Bear Creek fire near the border of Idaho by Lemhi Pass grew more than 2,000 acres over the past week, but officials think it may be contained enough to be in “patrol” mode soon.

The lightning-caused fire covered 11,236 acres as of Tuesday morning, and was considered 70 percent contained at that point according to InciWeb, the incident management website.

The fire is located about 45 miles southwest of Dillon.

There are 405 total personnel and a number of engines and aircraft assigned to manage the fire.

Montana students head back to school under shadow from virus

Published on Tue, 08/25/2020 - 3:03pm
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BILLINGS (AP) — The majority of Montana’s 150,000 public school students return to classes this week under a shadow of uncertainty, as officials warned of shutdowns if coronavirus trends worsen. A district near Billings cancelled classes for two days following an infection.

Almost 800 students in the small community of Shepherd were told to stay home until Wednesday while the community’s K-12 campus is cleaned after an infection was reported. School had started in Shepherd on Aug. 19.

Region Shorts

Published on Tue, 08/25/2020 - 3:02pm

53 inmates, 2 staff at Cascade County jail have COVID-19

BILLINGS (AP) — A Montana sheriff said Monday that 53 inmates and two staff members at a county jail have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The infections are at the Cascade County Detention Center in Great Falls. Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said the two staff members were sent home and the infected inmates were isolated, KFBB-TV reported.

The jail had almost 450 inmates as of last week.