wildfires

AI technology expands in the Mountain West to reduce wildfires

A year after the Elk Fire raged through the east side of the Bighorns in 2024, a rainstorm kicked off debris flows that closed a highway.

“Suppression is always going to be there,” Chief Brian Fennessy told the Mountain West News Bureau. “But we're not going to suppress our way out of this situation.”

Proponents of a bill in Colorado say stronger roofs would mean less damage during storms, and lower home insurance costs.

When wildland firefighters are on prescribed fires, they’re breathing the same smoke and facing many of the same hazards found on wildfires, but they don’t get the same hazard pay. That could soon change.

Warmer than usual weather in March, combined with drought, has made it more likely the state will see large fires this summer.

The grant application will open on April 15.

The monthly National Interagency Fire Center outlooks are typically staid documents, providing just-the-facts analysis. But the latest is superlative-laden as it describes record-low snowpacks, record-early snow melt and record-high temperatures.

In recent years, concerns among the workforce about health risks of all kinds have been getting louder. And mental health is no exception.

State and federal land managers have implemented fire restrictions across the state after a mild winter and record breaking March temperatures.