HELENA — On Tuesday, the governor was joined by state, local and federal officials to discuss the 2026 Montana Fire Season Outlook. Officials discussed the predicted weather patterns, fire crew staffing, funding and new technology being implemented.
John Riley reports - watch the video here:
“As we look ahead to the season, our goal is straightforward: be prepared,” Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, said. “Work together to protect Montana families, homes, communities, and the natural resources that support our incredible way of life.”
Gianforte added that people and firefighter safety will always come first, and that the state remains committed to aggressively fighting fires while they are small.
As for the forecast, U.S. Wildland Fire Service Predictive Meteorologist Dan Borsum says it’s been a complex winter in Montana. Ongoing drought conditions in some places, the major wind events and warmer winter temperatures are all factors. However, the state is seeing good precipitation so far during the state’s historically wetter months.
“The expectations for above normal fire potential are for the eastern end of the state to still have some concerns through July,” Borsum explained. “This [recent rain event] was not quite as beneficial for them. And then, southwest Montana begins to see concerns develop in July, and that expands into the Bitterroot in August. Based on some of the patterns we're expecting.”
Montana will always have a fire season, but the state has had relatively calmer years recently. In 2025, the state saw around 76,000 acres burned, the fourth lowest in the last 15 years.
But that does not mean the fire season was not costly. October’s Windy Rock Fire in Powell County cost around $56 million to fight, making it one of the most expensive firefighting operations in state history.
Gianforte says funding is looking okay so far this year, and notes there are options until the fire fund replenishes in August.
“The legislature has been very good in giving us resources,” said Gianforte. “The fire fund refills itself on August 15. And, we have ways to get to August 15, so we're in good shape.”
The state has committed significant funds in recent years to upgrading and investing in wildland fire suppression. One of the new pieces of technology are planes equipped with infrared sensors on the wingtip. The planes can be utilized to fly over areas, such as after thunderstorms, and the sensor can detect hotspots long before a person would see a column of smoke to report. Firefighters can then be quickly dispatched to put it out before it turns into a more significant problem.
As for staffing, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says they’re fully staffed and ready for this year’s fire season. But the state is just one part of the picture. Much of wildland firefighting efforts depends on the partnerships between state, local, federal and tribal agencies.
“For Montana, over 300 local fire departments protect over 45 million acres of our state,” explained Rich Cowger, President Emeritus for the Montana State Fire Chiefs. “Every day, all year long, somewhere across the state of Montana is protected by either a career or volunteer or combination fire department.”
Cowger noted that locally staffed and volunteer departments are incredibly dedicated to the duty, but they continue to face recruiting challenges.
“Are our local fire services totally prepared? We'd like to say yes, but we are challenged. Our volunteer systems are stretched. Volunteerism today isn't what it was in years past,” he noted.
The federal firefighting agencies and the U.S. Forest Service are also going through restructuring this year. Many forest service employees who are not full-time firefighters are certified and help when needed.
“Even throughout our reorganization efforts, we expect that those folks that maintain those collateral duties will remain available, to respond to fire,” noted Dan McKeague, acting deputy regional forester for USFS Region 1.
Fire officials also note that citizens play a big role in how the fire season will go, with about three-fourths of wildfires being human-caused.
Every city and home in Montana can be impacted by wildfire. Officials remind the public to be ready and have a plan should they need to evacuate.
