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HELENA - The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has released a new state report on this year's fire season in Montana.

Although there have been several fires this summer, the DNRC reports that it's looking "better" than previous years.

The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation reports that since July 1st the State of Montana has spent $500,000 in fire suppression funds, with $300,000 of the funds going to battle the Stickney Creek Fire near Wolf Creek.

The remainder of the money has been used to help suppress nearly 125 fires across Montana.

"The fire season is pretty much behaving just like the meteorologist at the Northern Rockies Coordination Center told us...that we would have a fairly wet spring and then the rains would shut off," commented the DNRC's Bob Harrington.

The DNRC reports that two major issues have been affecting this fire season. The state has had difficulty obtaining insurance for their volunteer firefighters and the DNRC has also encountered trouble in negotiating aviation contracts with the U.S. Forest Service.