Osage Nation firefighters head to Montana to fight wildfire

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Firefighters from the Oklahoma-based Osage Nation are headed to Montana to help fight wildfires.

Television station KOTV reports thousands of acres of land have been scorched by wildfires in Montana, which has experienced widespread drought.

The Osage Nation was recruited to help fight the wildfires by the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Firefighter Britton Redeagle says the Flathead Reservation sends firefighting teams to Oklahoma during the winter months when wildfires are common in the state.

Redeagle says Osage Nation firefighters plan to depart for Montana on Sunday and plan to work in 16-hour shifts while they are there.

On Saturday, firefighters in Montana used sprinklers and hoses to try to protect areas near some of the more than two dozen wildfires in the state that have forced many residents to evacuate.