Montana’s wildfire season started early in 2021, burned late and colored the Treasure State’s skies with smoke from June through October. Scorching nearly 940,000 acres across the state, fires this year burned the most acreage since 2017.
As much of the West—and most of Montana—experienced extreme to exceptional drought conditions this past year, Big Sky was no exception.
The South Fork Loop Fire, which started on June 17 at the trailhead just west of Hummocks and Uplands trails in Big Sky, was contained following a rapid response by the Big Sky Fire Department and partnering agencies.
“We have to be diligent to minimize unnecessary ignitions this year because this is just a sneak peek into how volatile of a fire season this could be for us,” BSFD stated in a June 18 press release.
At the time—considered early for Montana’s wildfire season to begin—three active fires were burning near Townsend, in Red Lodge and in the Pryor Mountains.