Montana Governor Addresses Miller Peak and Horse Gulch Fires

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana Governor Greg Gianforte called into the KGVO Talk Back show on Wednesday, and began the conversation by addressing the wildfires now burning throughout the state; principally near Missoula and Helena.

“We have 75 active fires in the state right now,” began Governor Gianforte. “You mentioned a couple of the bigger ones including that Miller Peak fire. As of last night, it was at 1700 acres (now up over 1900 acres). About the Horse Gulch fire; I was out there yesterday visiting with the incident command team just above Canyon Ferry Lake. That fire is just over 13,000 acres. The good news is that they're getting a handle on it, and it's getting contained.”

Governor Gianforte Addressed the Miller Peak and Horse Gulch Wildfires

Gianforte praised the many agencies and organizations who are putting their lives on the line to fight these fires.

“Our firefighters are doing a great job, and we're prepared for the fire season,” he said. “We have DNRC (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) resources. Many of these are under the U.S. Forest Service. We have a good partnership with them. We've trained hundreds of people in the Montana National Guard to help fight fires in case we have to call them up, and then we have mutual aid agreements with neighboring states.”

Gianforte Emphasized the Fact That Most Wildfires are Human-caused

One very important aspect of any wildfire is that, unfortunately, most are human-caused.

“Most of these fires are human-caused, in fact, a majority of them are human-caused,” he said. “We all have a responsibility when we're out in the woods. Don't be dragging chains (behind a truck). We’ve got to make sure that if you know you're going to have a fire, and it's a question whether you should when it's this dry, or if you should have one at all, but it's got to be fully and completely out. Even discharging firearms can ignite a fire, so when it's this dry, just be careful when you're out in the woods.”

READ MORE: UPDATE: Miller Peak Fire Near Missoula Grows to 1,972 Acres