wildfire

Montana and the West are experiencing more wildfires and larger blazes than in decades past including in more urban and suburban areas.

Both hotshots and horsemen have helped in the face of the largest wildfire in Montana, and the good news is an historic hot springs and ski lodge have survived.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation Monday to temporarily suspend some state laws in order to fast-track the recovery process from wildfires ravaging central and eastern Washington.

A five-soldier Montana National Guard team will deploy Tuesday to help support fire response in Washington after Gov. Greg Gianforte responded to a request.

The recommended fees represent a one-time sum intended to cover the cost of infrastructure needed to support new growth.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said Friday that firefighting resources are stretched thin as significant wildfires burn across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and much of the Western United States.

As heat and smoke settle in across western Montana and become the new summer norm, Missoula County and its emergency partners plan to test their response and prepare for worsening conditions in the future.

Officials are implementing stage two fire restrictions for Missoula and Ravalli counties, alongside the City of Missoula, and state and federal land.

As Washington state reels from a devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane last weekend, experts say the disaster has cast newfound uncertainty over a property insurance market that had just begun to stabilize.

The City of Missoula on Wednesday joined a growing number of jurisdictions to implement Stage 2 fire restrictions as fire conditions continue to deteriorate.