Montana Wildfire News
Montana Wildfire News
Montana Public Radio
Wildfire, fire management and air quality news for western Montana and the northern Rockies.
After cutting thousands of jobs, Forest Service asks fire-qualified workers to return
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.
Jun 17, 2025
4 min
Families and fire: Forest Service group aims to keep more women fighting wildfires
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.
Oct 3, 2024
5 min
'Essential travel only,' conserve water, avoid rivers and creeks, officials say after severe storm in Missoula area
Power to thousands of homes was knocked out Wednesday night as a severe thunderstorm swept through western Montana.
Jul 25, 2024
1 min
Looking for timely, reliable wildfire info? Here's how we find it
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.
Jul 22, 2024
4 min
A wet May could delay summer wildfires in the Northern Rockies
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.
Jun 17, 2024
1 min
Researchers rethink rural wildfire mitigation
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.
Jun 17, 2024
1 min
New program aims to help to protect Montanans from wildfire smoke
Montana will soon launch a program to better protect residents from wildfire smoke.
Jan 24, 2024
50 sec
Hungry Horse Reservoir's West Shore Road reopens to the public
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.
Sep 9, 2023
42 sec
Fire danger remains high as more than 107,000 acres have burned in Montana
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.
Aug 30, 2023
56 sec
River Road East Fire destroys structures near Paradise, MT
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.
Aug 22, 2023
41 sec
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