Montana
Governor Gianforte Speaks Out On Fire Response As Wildfires Increase Across The State
Fire season is moving closer every day, and with a forecast for warmer, drier conditions, with budget cuts creating uncertainties for staffing in the federal fire crews.
But Governor Greg Gianforte says he’s “very proud” of the state’s fire crews, and not worried if the Forest Service is dealing with cuts.
When I asked him about that a few weeks ago, he expressed frustration stemming from last year, when the state raised questions about the federal response to a major fire near Helena.
“We had a commitment from them, that they would pursue full suppression on all fires, provided we didn’t put wildfires at risk.” -Gov Gianforte
“Then, this past fire season, we caught them sitting on their hands,” Gianforte complains. “They were literally watching fires burn, with aviation assets available to them. With ground crews available to them.”
🔥 The governor believes new leadership at the Forest Service will help solve those issues, and in any event, he says the DNRC is ready.
READ MORE: Safeguarding Your Home From Montana Fires
Progress on Montana’s First Big Fire of ’25
Firefighters are continuing to make headway on the Sawlog Fire, burning at the north end of the Big Hole Valley.
-Updated mapping has the blaze at just over 1400 acres.
A skidgen picks up a load of water at the Sawlog Fire; USFS photo
Fire crews have been working on “mop-up” operations as they build and improve containment lines around the blaze, which erupted last week. They have 20% containment, and are continuing to try and keep the fire from getting closer to structures along the Highway 43 corridor north of Wisdom.
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Montana FWP has placed an emergency closure along the Big Hole River in the vicinity of the Sawlog Fire. The river is closed for fishing and other activities from the Mud Creek Bridge downstream to the Sportsman’s Park Fishing Access. The Fish Trap Fishing Access is also closed.
Hundreds of Montana Fires Already
While the Sawlog Fire is the first major blaze in the state this year, it’s far from the first. In fact, Montana DNRC says there have already been 268 wildfires so far in 2025, with 17 new fires just this week and 12 active fires right now. Most of those are in Western Montana, and have burned less than 10 acres each. But it illustrates how quickly conditions are drying out.
Speed Kills Teens in Billings
Billings Police investigators are now saying speed was the primary factor in a double fatality crash in the early hours of Wednesday morning at East Airport Road and Rimrock Drive.
Officers have determined that the driver of the car lost control, causing it to roll off the road. Three of the four people inside were ejected, with two girls, ages 16 and 18, killed.
-No charges have been filed, and the investigation continues.
One Killed in Highway 89 Crash
We’re still waiting for details on that deadly crash that happened east of Great Falls on Highway 89 yesterday morning. The accident, which involved a fire, completely blocked the highway for a time. The victim hasn’t been identified.
No More Twin Cities Connection from the Electric City
Great Falls is losing an important air connection, although there are still some options for travelers, as Jason Laird explains, Delta is dropping a flight.
Montana Friday Fun Fact
✈️ Montana Airports are a LOT busier since the pandemic. The Montana Department of Transportation reported over 3.1 million passengers had flown through the state’s major airports by December.
Average Summer Temperatures In Montana’s Largest Cities
Gallery Credit: Nick Northern
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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