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Manda Lillie

Nat'l firefighting crew from Minn. takes on North Dakota fire

The Magpie Fire in western North Dakota.
This Monday photo shows the Magpie Fire in the Little Missouri National Grassland of western North Dakota.
North Dakota Highway Patrol via AP

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A crew of 20 firefighters from Grand Rapids, Minn., recently set out for North Dakota to battle a blaze that still burns on 5,000 acres of land near Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The Magpie Fire was 60 percent contained as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which expects crews to continue working there until late July.

The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids exists for this purpose — to build crews of firefighters to help no matter where they're needed.

"People work together in this office ... they work to train and monitor wild land fires," said Mary Nordeen, public information officer for the center.

The 20 firefighters in North Dakota are the first line of defense, Nordeen said.

Eight agencies come together to form this group: the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Minnesota Department of Homeland Security; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; National Park Service; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; and the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association.

There are currently 250 Minnesotans helping battle forest fires in the country. No injuries have been reported.

Correction (July 14, 2017): An earlier version of this story had the incorrect location of the fire. The story has been updated.