Montana Wildfire News

As much of the nation broils under a scorching heat wave, Montana is emerging from days of heavy precipitation and unseasonably cool temperatures. Experts say that could lower the fire potential in the state this summer.

The Northern Rockies is expected to have a normal springtime wildfire season, despite the warm winter and low snowpack. That’s not an ironclad guarantee, but early indicators are not raising any red flags.

After a rash of federal job cuts earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service is reversing course and asking people qualified to fight fires to come back to work. Missoulian outdoors reporter Sam Wilson sat down with MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more.

Firefighters jump out of planes or dig miles of line to try and stop a fire’s spread. Some do this while pregnant. For women in firefighting, balancing careers with the demands of motherhood can often force them out of the jobs they love. But a new group of women in fire is trying to change that.

Power to thousands of homes was knocked out Wednesday night as a severe thunderstorm swept through western Montana.

As wildfire season heats up across Montana, it can be hard know where to find reliable, up-to-date information. Here's a rundown of the kind of sources, tools and verification we use when covering wildfires — and you can use them too.

An unusually dry winter fueled expectations of a long and active fire season throughout the Northern Rockies. Fire experts, however, say the reality may be more nuanced than that.

It’s wildfire season. Rural communities and those on the outskirts of urban centers face greater danger than others. New research urges homeowners and state officials to rethink how they mitigate risk for those areas.

Montana will soon launch a program to better protect residents from wildfire smoke.

The Flathead National Forest is reopening more of the Hungry Horse Reservoir to the public as recent rains have helped firefighters contain wildfires in the area.

There were 24 active large fire incidents in the state as of Tuesday morning. Multiple regions in the state are using significant firefighting resources as the state remains in level 3 preparedness.

Rain has slowed the spread of the River Road East Fire that has burned down structures and more than 16,000 acres near the town of Paradise.

Record setting high temperatures and gusty winds created a dramatic increase in fire activity in western Montana Tuesday. However, much of the increased activity was inside containment lines of existing fires. High water temperatures prompted Montana wildlife officials to implement hoot-owl restrictions on the lower Madison River starting Aug. 16.

Extreme heat and critical fire conditions are forecast through Thursday. Meteorologists say records could be shattered this week.

Residents south of Highway 93 near Elmo are being told to evacuate due to a nearby wildfire. Several areas in Northwest Montana will move to Stage Two fire restrictions Saturday.

The 13,000 acre Middle Ridge Fire burning west of Ronan is listed at 25% containment. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ (CSKT) Division of Fire said crews continued mop up efforts Thursday. The almost 14,000 acre Niarada Fire west of Elmo continues actively burning in a mix of timber and brush.

As fire season heats up across Montana, officials say people living in areas prone to wildfires should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

The Tub Gulch Fire is burning within Libby’s ‘asbestos forest’ near the defunct vermiculite mine. Forest Service crews began emergency fire prevention work this week in the area around Butte’s largest municipal water supply. The Flathead County Commission enacted an emergency declaration Tuesday.

Bone dry conditions, powerful winds and multiple new wildfire starts kept ground and air firefighting resources busy in recent days. Evacuation orders are in effect northwest of Polson due to the Nirada Fire.