RED LODGE — An early-season wildfire burning east of Red Lodge is catching both residents and fire crews off guard, raising questions about the response time of air support in Montana.
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Now in its second day, the East Side Fire is growing with intensity more typical of peak fire season months.
“This fire has grown like you would see a fire grow in July or August,” said Tom Kuntz with Red Lodge Fire Rescue.
By Tuesday evening, the fire had grown to roughly 1,600 acres in size and 0 percent containment. No homes have been destroyed, and no one has been injured.
The fire ignited just after 1 p.m. Monday, sending up a large plume of smoke visible from the Red Lodge Airport, where residents gathered to watch aircraft respond.
By evening, state helicopters were making bucket drops after flying in from Helena, and Billings Flying Service dispatched Chinook helicopters to help drop water, while ground crews worked to establish containment lines and protect structures.
However, large air tankers did not arrive until later.
“Getting air support this time of year can be very challenging,” Kuntz said.
According to a spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service, air tankers had to be ordered from out of state, including Colorado Springs, California and South Dakota, a delay tied to the time of year.
Kuntz says Montana typically does not begin pre-positioning wildfire resources until June or July, when fire season peaks.
“Because again, they’re not typically operating because we don’t typically need large air support,” Kuntz said.
That means early-season fires like this one rely on shared national resources.
“It’s flexible because most of those resources need to cover our entire country,” he said.
The timing has also stirred memories of the 2021 Robertson Draw Fire north of Red Lodge, when limited early aerial support drew criticism.
“That was an issue, and we were promised air support that didn’t come,” Kuntz said.
Despite those concerns, Kuntz said this response has been different, with crews working together to protect homes and hold containment lines.
As for whether air tankers were needed earlier when the fire first ignited, Kuntz said not necessarily, comparing wildfire response to using the right tools for the job.
“Not every one of those tools, works every place and you have to have a bunch of tools to get the job done,” he said.
Fire officials say the unusual April fire activity highlights how conditions on the ground are shifting and how wildfire season may no longer follow a predictable timeline.
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