Western Montana’s relatively tame wildfire season is suddenly ramping up in intensity, and changing weather conditions are expected to boost fire risk this week.

The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with a plan to roughly double the acreage for prescribed burns across the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.

An evacuation order issued by the Ravalli County Sheriff due to a wildfire burning in the area has been rescinded. Evacuation warnings remain in place.

Crews are working to knock down a wildfire south of Missoula in the Pattee Canyon area.

A "red flag" warning means dangerous wildfire conditions are happening or about to happen. The National Weather Service says it has an updated designation for exceptionally dangerous fire conditions.

Fire crews are getting the upper hand on a stubborn wildfire that’s burned south of MacDonald Pass for the past couple of weeks. The Jericho Mountain fire is now listed as 89% contained.

The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation warning in response to a wildfire burning approximately 5 miles south of MacDonald Pass off Highway 12.

After a rash of federal job cuts earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service is reversing course and asking people qualified to fight fires to come back to work. Missoulian outdoors reporter Sam Wilson sat down with MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more.

One of the biggest wildfires in the American west right now is burning about 4 miles north of Plains in western Montana’s Sanders County.

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday received his first wildfire season briefing of the year. The outlook is a mixed bag. Most of Montana’s land and fire management agencies say they’re prepared for fire season. The weather forecast, however, is grim.