2012 Fires Burn More Than 1.1M Acres in Montana

More than 1.1 million acres of land burned in Montana during the 2012 fire season, making it the worst fire season since 1910. However, the 2006 season was almost as bad.

The Northern Rockies Coordination Center reports fires scored more than 1.1 million acres in Montana – or 1,718 square miles – and destroyed more than 80 residences. The fires cost $113 million to suppress.

Derek Yeager is fire management officer for the Southern Montana Land Office in Billings. He tells The Billings Gazette that more than half of the 2,116 fires were human-caused, but the largest and most destructive were sparked by lightning.

The 1910 fire season saw 3 million acres burn in western Montana and Idaho. Six years ago, just over 1 million acres burned in Montana.