Montana fire aircraft return to duty after helicopter crash
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana ’s firefighting aircraft are returning to duty Friday after a helicopter crash grounded a state agency fleet as major wildfires broke out this week.
A spokesperson says a safety review cleared the six remaining helicopters and three fixed-wing planes to resume operations.
The results of that review were not made public immediately.
Minor injuries were reported among the five personnel aboard the helicopter when it crash landed the fight against a fire east of Townsend.
Almost 35,000 acres have burned in Montana so far in 2021, according to state and U.S. government data.
The vast majority has burned in human-caused fires.
