Montana Grass Fire Burns 1,000 Acres… And it’s Only March

Hazy skies were seen in the Billings area today (3/30), likely the result of a large grassfire that popped up over the weekend near Browning. Montana has had nearly 300 wildfires already this year; this one appeared to be the largest so far, at roughly 1,000 acres.

Glacier County Disaster and Emergency Preparedness shared on social media Sunday that the fire was contained quickly, thanks to fast response from various agencies, including  Blackfeet Fire, East Glacier Fire, and Del Bonita Fire.

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Most of the 274 year-to-date fires in the Treasure State have been relatively small, but many residents are concerned that the fire season this year could be particularly bad, due to drought conditions in roughly 66% of our state.

Data from NOAA and the National Integrated Drought Information System reveal that over 560,000 Montanans reside in areas of drought. They also note:

• We had the 30th driest February on record (since 1895)
• Montana had the 8th driest January-February on record
• Extreme Drought Conditions have expanded across portions of central Montana.

Of course, there is always a chance that we'll get substantial rain and/or snowfall in April and May. Most of us are hoping we do. The 2025 fire season seemed relatively mild in most of Montana, and there were minimal days of smoke-filled skies.

Wildfires cause untold damage each year in the Treasure State; however, 2025 was considered a success in limiting those costs. The MSU Exponent wrote in February that thanks to aggressive fire suppression efforts by the DNRC, "billions" in damages were prevented.

The State of Montana spends $30 million a year (10-yr average) fighting wildfires. In 2025, that total spiked to $70 million, reported the Daily Montanan.