WATFORD CITY, ND ( KXNET ) — A fire in the city of Elkhorn, which is in western North Dakota, has burned more than 22,000 acres of land.

Steve Best, Public Affairs Information Supervisor with the U.S. Forest Service, said that crews from multiple agencies that involve around 40-50 people have been battling the fire since Sunday. They got a little bit of a handle on it after winds calmed down yesterday, right on the east and south end of the fire. As of this afternoon, the Forest Service says it was twenty percent contained.

So far, the fire has burned a mixture of land, including private property, BLM lands, and some land located within the Little Missouri National Grassland.

Also out here helping with firefighting operations is the North Dakota Army National Guard. They have a Blackhawk helicopter that’s flying around doing some water bucket runs in rugged areas that the ground crews can’t get to. Best also says some tankers were deployed from a federal agency to drop fire retardant on the north end of the fire.

The Forest Service is reminding people to stay away from the area while they battle the fire for their own safety.

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