Montana Army National Guard crew returns after helping fight Washington wildfire

Helena, Mont. — A five-person Montana Army National Guard crew returned to Helena after spending 15 days helping with wildfire suppression in Wenatchee, Washington.

The crew had been assigned to the Sinlahekin Fire in the northern part of Washington near the Canadian border.

During the mission, the crew logged more than 40 flight hours, completed nearly 90 bucket drops and released about 178,000 gallons of water.

Montana Army National Guard leaders said the state was able to support Washington while keeping enough resources ready to respond to wildfires and other emergencies in Montana.

Noah Genger, the Montana National Guard’s joint director of military support, said that message reflected the strength of the state’s aviation resources.

“It’s great to be in a place in Montana where we’re so blessed to have a healthy aviation supply where we were able to help Washington while still maintaining the resources we needed to help Montana at any given time,” said Genger.

Genger also said the Washington Army National Guard thanked Montana for sending an experienced crew to support the firefighting effort.