How Montana Fights Wildfires: Strategies, Costs, and Dangers

BUTTE, MT - As of the time of this writing, there are 66 active wildfires burning in Montana right now.

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Even though Montana is a massive state, that number reflects a growing issue: dryer climate, hotter temperatures, and a shortage of firefighters. What's going on?

It's no secret that every year, fires sweep through forests, grasslands, and communities, requiring an enormous coordinated effort to contain and control. From small blazes to full-scale infernos, firefighting teams employ various strategies to manage fires depending on size, location, and intensity.

But how are these fires actually fought?

The Anatomy of a Wildfire Response

Small Fires: Quick Containment

Small wildfires, which typically range from under 100 to a few hundred acres, are obviously the easiest to handle. These fires are usually fought by local fire departments or small firefighting crews, often within the initial hours or days of ignition. Ground crews, equipped with hand tools, chainsaws, and water pumps, are deployed to cut firebreaks—strips of land cleared of vegetation that prevent the fire from spreading. Water or retardant drops from helicopters or small planes are used to suppress flames, especially in remote or rugged terrain.

When it comes to fires near communities or critical infrastructure, a swift response is critical to preventing escalation. While these fires can be intense, they’re typically more contained, requiring fewer resources compared to their larger counterparts.

Medium-Sized Fires: Bringing in the Big Guns

When fires grow beyond a few hundred acres, additional resources are called in. Medium-sized fires often require collaboration between state and federal agencies, such as the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

For these fires, crews will employ a combination of ground teams and aerial support. Fire engines and bulldozers are used to create wider firebreaks, and multiple aircraft drop fire retardant or water to slow the fire’s progress. In some cases, controlled burns are used to remove fuel from the fire's path.

Incident management teams take over, overseeing logistics, communication, and strategy to ensure the fire is attacked from multiple angles. These teams can operate for weeks or even months depending on the fire’s duration.

Large Fires: A Full-Scale Battle

When wildfires grow to thousands of acres, the situation becomes much more complex. Large fires—like the ones recently seen in Montana and neighboring Idaho—require hundreds, sometimes thousands, of personnel. These fires can last for months and span vast, often inaccessible areas.

To fight these fires, national resources are brought in, including Hotshots: elite firefighters trained to tackle the most dangerous parts of the blaze. Aerial support ramps up significantly, with large tankers dropping thousands of gallons of retardant to slow the fire’s growth.

Managing large fires often means protecting communities, natural resources, and wildlife habitats simultaneously. Evacuations are sometimes ordered, and fire crews focus on ensuring the blaze doesn’t threaten lives. The costs for large fires can soar into the millions, with some reaching $10 million or more per fire.

Fire Clusters

During extreme fire seasons, Montana has been known to experience clusters of fires, often more than 10 burning within a concentrated area. When this happens, it stretches resources thin—and fast. Coordinating responses becomes a delicate balancing act, as Incident Command Centers have the stressful position of deciding where to allocate the most resources.

When clusters occur, firefighting agencies prioritize fires that pose the greatest risk to human life, property, or valuable natural resources. Smaller fires may be allowed to burn under supervision, as long as they don’t threaten critical areas. In some cases, fires may merge (like the still-burning Bulldog and Nellie Fires in Idaho, making the Middle Fork Complex Fire), creating a massive conflagration that requires even more resources and personnel.

Case in Point: The 2023 Fire Season

During the summer of 2023, Montana faced an alarming number of wildfires, with dozens burning at any given time. In late July, a cluster of fires erupted in northwest Montana and the Idaho Panhandle, consuming more than 100,000 acres combined. Fire crews faced the dual challenge of dealing with multiple large fires, including the Ridge Fire in the Flathead National Forest and the Buckskin Fire in Idaho. Both blazes required significant resources, including nearly 1,000 personnel each, and had a combined cost of over $20 million by season’s end.

The Cost of Fighting Wildfires

As you saw above, fighting wildfires is an expensive endeavor. In 2023 alone, the state of Montana spent upwards of $40 million on firefighting efforts. When factoring in costs like equipment, personnel, fuel, and air support, the price tag for fighting a single fire can quickly escalate.

The federal government often steps in to cover a portion of these costs, particularly for fires that burn on federal lands. However, its the local communities that shoulder the heaviest of burdens with evacuations, lost property, and environmental damage.

The sheer scale of wildfire spending has led to increased discussions about forest management practices, such as prescribed burns and thinning of forests to reduce fuel loads. Preventative measures can be costly, but they’re often far less expensive than fighting an out-of-control wildfire.

A Changing Landscape

Montana's wildfire seasons are becoming more intense and costly, as climate change extends the dry season and creates more volatile conditions. While firefighting agencies are constantly improving their strategies and resources, the growing frequency of large, clustered fires presents new challenges.

Montana will continue to adapt, employing better forest management practices and leveraging cutting-edge technology.