A wildfire blazing in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park has grown to nearly 8 square miles, but fire crews have made progress on boxing it in and protecting threatened structures.
The Horse Pasture Fire on Tuesday was estimated at 5,000 acres and 45% contained, according to Beth Hill, acting outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Forest Service. The cause was still under investigation, though authorities think it likely was caused by a person.
Fire crews have used back-burning -- eliminating vegetation with controlled burns -- to create a fire perimeter roughly on the east, north and south sides of the park area, and they were working on the western flank Tuesday, according to Park Superintendent Wendy Ross.