MEDORA, N.D. (AP) -- Fire crews took advantage of cooler weather and low wind to fight back a fire in the North Dakota Badlands about 25 miles north of here.
About 150 people from federal, state and county agencies were on the scene Monday, including 11 smokejumpers from Missoula, Mont., said Kathy Bushnell, a fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
The blaze, estimated at up to 2,500 acres Monday afternoon, was centered near the a primitive campground along the Maah-Daah-Hey trail north of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The fire started early Sunday afternoon but officials were unsure of the cause. No injuries were reported and the fire was not threatening any structures, Bushnell said.
Three single-engine tanker airplanes dumped retardant chemicals on the fire Monday. The Forest Service also brought in a helicopter and was waiting for two 20-person fire crews to arrive Monday afternoon.
The smokejumpers, elite firefighters who parachute to the edge of a blaze, were summoned because the rugged Badlands terrain can be inaccessible by foot, Bushnell said.
Officials expected to have the fire contained by Wednesday.
``We're not expecting high winds or anything so that helps,'' Bushnell said. ``They're knocking it down pretty well.''
There are not farms or ranches in the area, but officials were concerned about several oil wells, Billings County spokeswoman Joan Jurgens said.
``I have not heard of any damage being done yet,'' Jurgens said.
Southwestern North Dakota has endured dry conditions this summer. When the blaze started on Sunday, gusts of wind sent flames surging across the grass and brush, Jurgens said.
``We've been dry pretty much all summer long,'' she said. ``This grass out here, when it really gets dry, it just crunches.''
