There are now more large wildfires burning in Montana than any other state. At least 18 large fires are consuming both forests and grasslands in eastern and western Montana.
The Lolo Peak fire west of Florence is still relatively small at an estimated 249 acres, but tonight, management of it is being transferred to the highest level incident management team.
Montana's 60-million-dollar reserve fund to fight fires could be halved during what officials say could be an expensive fire season.
Montana's unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent in June.