BELT — Firefighters with the Belt Rural Fire District responded to two fires on Thursday, both sparked by human activity and both contained thanks to quick calls to 911 and strong mutual aid support. No injuries were reported.
The first fire was reported just after 8:30 a.m. north of Belt. When crews arrived, they found an old outbuilding fully engulfed and flames spreading to nearby grass. The cause was determined to be faulty electrical wiring. Belt responded with five vehicles and eight personnel, reaching the structure fire within 15 minutes of the initial call.
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Belt Fire Chief Jeremy Durbin says, “Due to that quick call, we were able to get apparatus and members on scene quickly and contain it to just the one small outbuilding and a small patch of grass.”
Around 12:30 p.m., crews were called out again, this time to a grass fire near mile marker 74 on Highway 89. Durbin said the fire started when a handheld tool sparked in dry grass.
He says, “The quick response, calling 911, probably made that into a much smaller incident.”
Mutual aid came from Sand Coulee and Malmstrom Air Force Base, which provided additional tenders and brush trucks.
Durbin says, “Mutual aid is a huge thing around our area. Small volunteer fire departments, we rely on each other a lot, and being able to call for that mutual aid, we can get a really great response in a short amount of time and handle a situation.”
With recent drought conditions, rising heat, and gusty winds, fire danger across the region is climbing fast. Durbin says, “It still looks green and lush, but everything on the undergrowth is extremely dry, it doesn’t take long for a small spark to take off, especially with the wind we’ve been seeing.”
He urged the public to take basic precautions, like avoiding tall grass with vehicles and keeping water nearby during outdoor work, but above all, to act quickly.
He explains, “Don’t call someone to ask what to do, just call 911. We'd rather have the call early than the call later when it's completely out of hand.”
MTN’s Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis says Central Montana’s dry trend is part of a bigger seasonal pattern.
Dennis explains, “In Montana, May and June are typically our wettest months. But a lot of areas, especially in north central Montana, received below-average precipitation this spring. So, most of us are currently dealing with drought conditions, everything is dry out there.”
Heading into the weekend, Dennis says the risk will only grow, saying “We’re going to see a return of hot temperatures, highs back in the 90s for many areas. It's also going to be breezy, especially Saturday, which will elevate the fire danger even more. And we’ll stay dry through the weekend.”
As summer continues to heat up, fire officials across the state are urging Montanans to stay alert, be prepared, and never wait to report smoke or fire.
(1st REPORT) The Belt Rural Fire Department responded to two fires on Thursday, July 10, 2025. The first was a wildland/structure fire that they responded to at 8:35 a.m.
Just after noon, the agency responded to a second wildland fire. No injuries were reported in either fire.
There is no word on the suspected cause of the fires, nor the amount of damage, at this point.
BRFD thanked the Malmstrom Air Force Base fire department and the Sand Coulee fire department for their support.
We will update you if we get more information.
