Montana’s average annual firefighting costs range from $15 to $20 million. This year’s tab may end up costing about half that if conditions don’t get much worse.
State Forester Bob Harrington says those fire suppression expenses are currently estimated at about $4 million to $5 million.
But one western Montana fire will double that:
"We do have a significant stake in the Copper King Fire between Plains and Thompson Falls. So, I think we’re likely approaching the $9 or $10 million dollar mark right now. That’s total — not just for that fire," Harrington said.
With federal costs factored in, the Copper King fire is currently estimated to be a $20 million incident.
Harrington warns Montanans against getting too confident about an inbound cold-front that’s predicted to bring rain and cooler weather to the region.
"We’ve seen this before where cold fronts come in and they might drop a quarter inch of rain. It might be cloudy and cool for a few days. Then we have fire conditions stand right back up after the passage of that front."
Harrington urges everyone to continue to be extremely careful with fire on the landscape.
Find more Montana wildfire news here.
