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der=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=100%> Indian crews fight fires
AUGUST 10, 2000

Fire crews from various Montana tribes are actively fighting fires which have paralyzed a considerable portion of the state.

A crew from the Crow Tribe is on site at the fire on McCartney Mountain. The tribe sent 20 veteran firefighters to help battle the blaze, which is expected to be 100 percent contained by next week.

The Crow crew also fought the Cerro Grande fire in New Mexico earlier this summer.

This season, more than 3,800 tribal members have been fighting fires. The Blackfeet Tribe has 510 firefighters on the front lines.

The job pays well but ites highly dangerous and requires great physical strength. The BIA has paid about $5 million in wages to Indian firefighters since June.

Get the Story:
Bad fires bring good-paying jobs to reservations (The Billings Gazette 8/10)
Crow crew keeps Glen fire small (The Billings Gazette 8/10)