1 killed, 1 injured in Lake County house fire

One person died and another was injured in a Thursday house fire in Lake County. The Bigfork Fire Department was called out to a house fire in the 31000 block of Twinflower Lane south of Bigfork at 10:25 a.m. Bigfork Fire Public Information Officer Allen Benitez says crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the small home at the end of a steep and narrow gravel driveway. The Bigfork Fire Department then asked for mutual aid in fighting the fire which was burning in an area without fire hydrants. The City of Polson Fire Department, Polson Rural Fire Department, and Finley Point/Yellow Bay Fire Department all responded to the scene. Additionally, Benitez says the Creston Fire Department covered calls in Bigfork while crews remained at the scene.
KPAX-TV CBS/CW+ 8 Missoula

Missoula Rural Fire District responds to hillside fire

Missoula Rural Fire District responded to an out-of-control hillside fire at 1:29 p.m. Friday south of Missoula. Crews reported 1 acre of burning grass on a steep slope in the area of Deadman Gulch and Cochise Drive. Firefighters controlled the fire that was encroaching on a residence adjacent to the fire. The fire was controlled to 1.5 acres and crews stayed on the scene for three hours to fully extinguish the fire. The fire was a permitted burn that quickly became out of control, due to winds reaching top speeds of 25 mph. MRFD urges residents in the wildland interface area to contact the department with any fuel mitigation questions.
NBC Montana

A new truck for the Blaine County Rural Fire Department

VIDEO: The Blaine County Rural Fire Department has received a major boost to its firefighting capabilities thanks to the gift of a new fire truck. The donation comes from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Lewistown, which recently updated its fleet and wanted to support its rural counterpart. The new firetruck comes equipped with safety features and firefighting technology, which will go a long way in providing the Eastern portion of Blaine County and the surrounding ranching communities of Savoy with an essential resource to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies in the rural area. “We are incredibly grateful to the BLM for providing this truck,” said Blaine County Fire Warden Kraig Hansen.
KRTV CBS/CW+ 3 Great Falls

Billings Fire Department hosts second station tour of 2024 for elementary school kids

VIDEO: The Billings Fire Department hosted their second fire station tour of the year on Thursday for elementary kids to teach them about fire safety and prevention The fire department is hosting seven station tours throughout 2024 to help kids become more acquainted with seeing firefighters on the job and less afraid of interacting with first responders. Paul Ferguson, who has been a Billings Fire Department Engineer for the last 10 years, said that making sure kids can recognize firefighters helps them feel safe during an emergency. “You know, most kids they get scared and it's important for the kids to come to the station and talk to firemen before they put all their gear on to get comfortable with the person that's actually underneath all that stuff, so they know it's a safe environment,” explained Ferguson.
NonStop Local