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
Montana
Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.
This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.
The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.
“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:
We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.
Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”
Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.
According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.
One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.
At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.
In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.
Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.
ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.
Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.
We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.
The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.
Issues: Immigration
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