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Wildfire, fire management and air quality news for western Montana and the Northern Rockies.

Prescribed Burns Underway Across Western Montana

A firefighter carrying a drip torch sets fire to grasses as part of a prescribed burn in Crazy Canyon near Missoula, MT, April 29, 2021.
Lolo National Forest
Prescribed burn in Crazy Canyon near Missoula, MT.

Firefighters are conducting prescribed burns on both the Lolo and Lewis & Clark National Forests. Area residents may notice the smoke.

Missoula residents may have seen and smelled the smoke coming from the Ninemile valley and I-90 corridor over the past couple days. Lolo National Forest Ninemile District Ranger Tammy Fletcher says there are two prescribed burn projects happening.

“Firefighters are conducting prescribed burning on two different units in this area. One unit is 100 acres and the other is up to 140 acres.”

Fletcher says both of those projects should wrap up Thursday evening. 

There’s also a 40-acre burn this week in the Superior Ranger District. 

The Lewis & Clark National Forest is burning hundreds of acres in the Lincoln and Judith-Musselshell ranger districts. People may see and smell smoke coming from 16 miles northwest of Harlowton and through the Lincoln Valley. 

Explore what wildfire means for the West, our planet and our way of life, with Fireline podcast.

Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
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