The 2026 summer wildfire season continues, but conditions are starting to improve in parts of western Montana

Nearly 45-million acres of national forest lands that have been protected for 25 years could open up to logging. The Trump administration Tuesday proposed a new regulation that would remove what’s known as the “roadless rule.” MTPR’s Aaron Bolton spoke with Ellis Juhlin from the Montana Free Press about the latest in a decades-old fight over where the federal government allows logging.

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the Beaverhead County Sheriff, in coordination with fire officials and local cooperators, ordered evacuations to begin for Elkhorn Hot Springs and Maverick Mountain, including all communities south to Shale Creek and Clark Creek on the north end of Grasshopper Valley.

The Bitterroot National Forest Friday raised its fire danger level to "Extreme," the highest level. Under these conditions fires start quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely.

Montana fire officials are bracing for another round of critical fire weather this weekend. Any fires that develop over the next several days will spread rapidly and be very difficult to control.