HELENA - Montana's wildfire season is coming to an end as autumn sets in with cooler temperatures and mountain snow.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) reports the total area burned by wildfires this year is way below normal at just over 76,000 acres, marking the fourth-lowest total in the last 15 years.
Watch to learn more about this year's wildfire season:
However, the number of fires is slightly above normal, currently sitting at around 2,200, the sixth highest in the past 15 years, indicating that most fires were not allowed to grow out of control. Quick fire response times and a cooler and wetter than normal summer allowed for significantly fewer days of smoke-filled skies than in previous years.
The largest blaze in the state was just west of Helena in Powell County, where the Windy Rock Fire broke out in mid-August and still has firefighters on it today. The blaze has burned a total of 6,175 acres, and at one point threatened homes and private property in the area.
The Jericho Mountain Fire and the Hilger Valley Fire also affected the Helena area, but were relatively smaller in size. A pair of twin fires in the Tobacco Root Mountains that broke out independently of each other in mid-August burned around 6,000 combined acres.
Although fires can occur at any point in the year, Montana's main season runs from late May through early October.
Visit MTfireinfo.org for up-to-date wildfire information.
