Landusky evacuated for fire

Deputies with the Phillips County Sheriff's began evacuating residents out of Landusky this morning as a large fire that sparked to life July 3 southwest of Zortman spread through the region.

Type-2 Incident Management Team Fire Information Officer Kathy Russell said this morning that Landusky residents were warned to be prepared to evacuate due to the forecast of west winds.

At 9:15 this morning, a representative with the Phillips County Sheriff's Office said the evacuation process had just started.

Russell said Wednesday's wind caused a "substantial increase in the size of the fire," adding to the 1,700 acres it had burned as of Wednesday.

"It was a dramatic day, a lot of smoke, a lot of activity," she said.

The fire had come within a quarter-mile of Zortman by Wednesday.

The good news throughout this, Russell said, is that human lives had not been directly affected.

"There have been no fatalities. I'm not aware of any injuries," she said. "Our number one priority is always human lives."

Bureau of Land Management Public Information Officer Jonathan Moor said Wednesday that the wind from the previous days had done a lot of harm, helping the fire spread.

Russell said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined and it is under investigation. Crews from the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Phillips County and a number of volunteer fire departments had all responded on the scene. A heavy air tanker, multiple single engine air tankers, four helicopters, 10 engines, two water tenders and three bulldozers responded.

Today at 6 a.m. the federal Type-2 Incident Management Team took over the lead, Russell said. The other crews are continuing to help fight the blaze as well, she said.