DNRC assists with wildfire fighting across state

Bozeman, Mont. — Wildfires across the state and region have prompted responses from local and federal fire teams.  

NonStop Local checked with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to see how the state is responding and staying prepared. 

DNRC Deputy Fire Protection Bureau Chief Cory Calnan said it has been a busy week, with fire crews helping oninitial attacks on fires across the state. He confirmed Montana was under a red flag warning, which means crews not already fighting fires stay on high alert for new fire starts. 

For much of the state, that warning was expected to end around sunset on Sunday or Monday morning. 

The agency also partners with local jurisdictions to help fight fires when support is needed. Calnan said the state often sends extra resources early,so crews had what they needed to stop fires quickly. 

“It's better to turn things around, you know, have it on hand and not eat it ratherthan be caught behind the power curve on an incident where you need it. So, more often than not, we're sending more than we need, just to make sure that we got everything on hand to catch those fires quick,” he said. 

Initial attacks have been pretty successful, Calnan said. But some areas have been more difficult. 

“Unfortunately, there are some fires that got started in areas where access was tough and the conditions. Weather conditions were just too extreme and really kind of made it unsafe for our firefighters to get in there,” he said. “Those fires did grow here over the last couple of days, so overall initial attack activity has been pretty successful, and we continue to lean into that as we can.” 

Calnan also urged people to take fire prevention steps. He said that includes smothering campfires, not dragging chains on highways and not driving ATVs and other off-road vehicles through tall grass. 

He also confirmed there were more than 1,200 personnel, 34 aircraft and 47 engines assigned to active wildfires across the Northern Rockies Geographic Area, which includes Montana, Idaho and North Dakota. 

The DNRC also offers information on how to prepare homes for wildfire and how to protect property. You can learn more about that here.