Custer County Fire crews have responded to nearly 30 wildfires since Monday, with fires sparked by lightning and roadway sources stretching resources across the sprawling eastern Montana county.Custer County Fire Chief Corey Che guis said the pace has been relentless.Watch the full story about the fires below: Custer County crews battle nearly 30 wildfires in 3 days"Twenty-seven since Monday," Cheguis said Wednesday afternoon.Crews have worked to stop each fire before it can grow, relying on a large volunteer force and a fleet of wildland trucks spread strategically across the county."We've got a lot of trucks and we got a lot of volunteers, which is super nice," Cheguis said.While many of the fires were sparked by lightning, Cheguis said 17 were started along roadways, likely by passing vehicles.He said 12 of those roadway fires were linked to one driver, and the other five to another. Cheguis said there could be consequences for those responsible."There could be financial repercussions. Yeah, possibly insurance. Obviously if, you, somebody flags you down, stops you, and then you just like kind of like look the other way and drive away. Yeah, there could be repercussions," Cheguis said.The department's focus remains on rapid response. Cheguis described how the county's 23 wildland trucks are deployed to maximize coverage."We got most of them spread throughout the entire county. We keep five in town. And our in-town people start going to fires. And then our county co-op trucks, which also helps," Cheguis said.That positioning has already made a difference. Cheguis pointed to one fire located far from the county seat as an example of why the strategy matters."That fire is 48 miles from Miles City. We had a truck three miles away from where it was. So, if we had to launch from Miles City, drive 48 miles, that fire's going to be big by the time we get there. So, that truck being close, they get a quick punch on it," Cheguis said.Crews also gained another tool this season aerial fire detection from the state."The DNRC (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) just got a flight detection platform," Cheguis said.The technology has already proven its value."That flight detection actually just picked up a fire north of Miles City, which I got crews responding to, which nobody knew about," Cheguis said.The nonstop pace is taking a toll on personnel. Cheguis said sleep has been hard to come by."I'm in a lot of long hours. So, I'm in, for myself even the past few days. I think I've probably slept like, eight hours of sleep since Monday, maybe nine," Cheguis said.With hot, dry conditions expected to continue, Cheguis said firefighters are prepared to keep up the pace."We're picking them up as they come. That's just how it goes. I mean, this ain't nothing new. So, just hammer them fast while we can and get a good eye," Cheguis said. ...read more read less