Montana’s fire season picked up last week, with 48 new fires started over the last seven days. More than 48,060 acres have burned since the start of this year, and acres burned since July 21 represent 65 percent of that total.
In Idaho, nine wildfires are currently burning more than 31,000 acres and Wyoming has five fires torching north of 138,000 acres. Much of that is due to the Red Canyon Fire at 126,000 acres east of Thermopolis in the northcentral part of the state. The blaze has caused numerous evacuations in Hot Springs and Fremont counties and prompted Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon on Monday to issue an executive order declaring an emergency.
In late July, Montana state fire officials said that moisture-heavy storms, low temperatures and high overnight humidity had kept the state well below the number of acres that had burned by that point in 2024, but that they expected a change in the weather to increase fire activity in August.
In a Monday fire briefing provided to Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, officials wrote that “fire activity has increased in Montana as fuels are dry and windy conditions persist.”
That has all led to the spike in fire starts, with lightning-caused fires leading to evacuation warnings in recent days for areas affected by the Horn Fire and the McAllister Fire. The state is at preparedness level three, meaning that several large fires are actively burning and resources are becoming limited.
On Aug. 14 at 5 p.m., the Horn Fire, burning between Cliff Lake and U.S. Highway 87 in Madison County, triggered evacuation orders for residents east of U.S. Highway 87 and south of U.S. Highway 287. These orders were lifted the following morning as crews kept the fire from threatening residences.
The lightning-sparked blaze, which started August 13, had burned 2,800 acres as of Tuesday morning and was 75 percent contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Wildfire containment refers to the relative percent of a wildfire’s perimeter that firefighting resources have been able to control safely. Containment indicates control over a fire, but not necessarily how much of a fire has been extinguished. No structures have been damaged by the Horn Fire.
Other major fires burning in Montana include the Bivens Creek and Cloudrest fires, both located in Madison County’s portion of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and both started by lightning. The Bivens Creek Fire, burning 10 miles east of Sheridan, had burned 2,267 acres as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
The Bivens Creek Fire is threatening structures and 232 personnel are working the fire.
The Cloudrest Fire is burning off Noble Fork Road near Cloudrest Peak, northeast of Sheridan. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had burned 1,190 acres with 32 personnel responding to the blaze
The Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management (NRCIM) Team 6 is managing both fires burning near Sheridan. This team brings “significantly more resources to support the Madison Ranger District’s goals and priorities for the full suppression of these fires,” according to a post from the Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF Wildland Fire Information Facebook page.
The McAllister Fire is another lightning-started fire in Madison County about 10 miles north of Ennis. As of Tuesday morning, the McAllister Fire had burned around 3,500 acres and was 50 percent contained. The fire is threatening residences and there is an evacuation warning for all residents in the area between Bradley Creek, Shining Mountains West and U.S. Highway 287 between mile markers 61 and 64. Residents planning to stay in the area should be prepared to evacuate if conditions change. There are no road closures as of Tuesday afternoon.
Several engines and three hand crews were working the blaze Monday afternoon.
In a Monday afternoon Facebook post, Gianforte wrote that dry fuels and windy conditions appear to have contributed to the recent fire growth after a generally quiet summer.
“We’re monitoring existing and emerging fires as [the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation] continues an aggressive initial attack on all starts,” Gianforte wrote. At the beginning of this summer in his seasonal fire briefing, Gianforte said “we stand ready to respond with an aggressive initial attack to protect our communities.”
So far this year, Montana has spent an estimated $9.9 million on firefighting, with $93.1 million remaining in the fund, according to the briefing to the governor from fire management officials at the Montana DNRC. Those officials anticipate adjustments to these estimates once cost-sharing negotiations with the federal government are complete.
While drier and hotter weather has increased fire activity in the state, high overnight humidity and lower overnight temperatures have aided crews in fighting blazes. Matt Hall, fire protection bureau chief, told Montana Free Press in an interview Tuesday that “hotter temperatures and drier conditions continue to escalate the fire risk in the state, especially in south and south central Montana.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this article was first published at montanafreepress.org.
