Raging North American wildfires forcing prioritization of resources

THERE ARE MORE THANTWENTY LARGE WILDFIRESBURNING ACROSS MONTANATHIS MORNING...MORE THAN 400-THOUSAND ACRESAV HBEEN SCORCHED SINCE THESTART OF THE YEAR...HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OFROUGHLY WHERE SOME OFTHE BIGGEST FIRES ARELOCATE..D.IN CENTRAL MONTANA YOU'LLFIND THE TAYLOR FIREWHICH STARTED ONSUNDAY AND HAS ALREADYGROWN TO NEARLY 30-THOUSAND ACRES.THE ROBERTSON DRAWFIRE BY RED LODGE ISAROUND THAT SIZE T.

OOYOU MAY REMEMBER ITWAS ONE OF OUR FIRSTMAJOR FIRES OF THESEASON.AND IN OUR PART OF THESTATE, THE TRAIL CREEKFIRE NEAR LOST TRAIL ISONE OF THE LARGEST AT 35-THOUSAND ACRES.FIREFIGHRSTEACROSS THE WESTE ARBATTLINGFEROCIOUSWILDFIRES IN MORETHAN A DOZENSTATES.

E THHISTORIC NORTHERNCALIFORNIAOLD GRUSH TOWN OFGREENVILLE IS INRUINS AFTER THEMASSIVE DIXIE REFITORE THROUGHLATE WEDNESDAY,DESTROYING JUSTABOUT EVERYTHINGIN ITS PATH.AND THOSE FIRES INCALIFORNIA ANDELSEWHERE IN THE WESTIMPACT US IN MONTANATOO.

MTN'S JOHN RILEYBREAKS DOWN JUST HOWSTRETCHED FIREFIGHTINGRESOURCES ARE IN NORTHAMERICA.ON CAM FIRE SCARS LIKETHIS ONE FROM THE ROCKCREEK FIRE OUTSIDE WOLFCREEK MONTANA AREUNFORTUNATELY A COMMONSIGHT IN THE WESTERN U-S.UNDER GFX RIGHTNOW THERE ARE 100 LARGEWILDFIRES ACTIVELY BURNINGIN THE UNITED STATES.MONTANA IS THE MOSTACTIVE WITH 24, FOLLOWEDBY IDAHO WITH 20,OREGON HAS 15,CALIFORNIA HAS 12,WASHINGTON HAS 11, 3 INWYOMING AND 2SOUTH DAKOTA.THERE'S EVEN A 40,000ACRE WILDIFRE BURNING INWAHAII RIGHT NOW.

ONEOF THE LARGEST TO BEREPORTED IN THE STATE.THE NORTHERNROCKIESCOORDINATIONCENTER MANAGESAND ASSIGNSRESOURCES FORMONTANA.

RIGHTNOW THERE AREMORE THAN 50RESOURCEREQUESTSUNFULFILLEDBECAUSE THEREJUST ISN'T THE HELPAVAILABLE RIGHTNOW.THOMPSON: NO ONEAGENCY HAS ENOUGHRESOURCES TO HANDLE THEFIRE SEASONS THAT WEE 'RSEEING TODAY.

THE OTR HETHING THAT'S REALLYHAMSTRINGING US THE LASTFEW YEARS IS THAT ALL OFTHE WESTERN STATES, L AL12 OF THE WESTERN STATESHAVE BEEN ACTIVE AT THESAME TIME SO WEHAVEN'T BEENBLE ASHARE AS MANYRESOURCES ACROSS STATEBOUNDARIES BECAUSEWE'VE ALL BE ACTIVE ATTHE SAME TIME.SOME OF THOSERESOURCESMONTANA HASTRADITIONALLYBANKED ON ISINTERNATIONALSUPPORT, BUTCANADA DOESN'THAVE ANYONE TOSEND ANDAUSTRALIANRESOURCES AREHEADING TO HELPSUPPORT THOSENORTHERNSUPPRESSIONEFFORTS.UNDER GFX: SO FARTHIS YEAR, MORE THAN 3.3MILLION ACRES HAVEBURNED IN THE UNITEDSTATES.

IT'S A SIMILARSITUATION UP NORTH, WITHCANADA SEEING 3.2MILLION ACRES BURNED.BRITISH COLUMBIA ISEXPERIENCING ONE OFTHEIR WORST FIREEA SSONSTO DATE, SEEING 1.3MILLION ACRES BURN IEDNTHE PROVIDENCE ALONE.IT ALSO DOESN'THELP THAT NORTHAMERICA IS ALSOEXPERIENCINGUNPRECEDENTEDFIRE BEHAVIOR ANDENERGY RELEASE.THOMPSON THAT WASDRIVEN BY THE DROUGHTCONDITIONS WE'RE SEEING.AND THE DROUGHTCONTINUES TO INTENSIFY.AND THEN THEUNPRECEDENTED WEATHERTHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEINGISTH SUMMER IN MONTANAAND IDAHO WITHTEMPERATURES IN THETRIPLE DIGITS FOR DAYS ONEND.ON CAM: MONTANA HASACTIVATED THE NATIONALGUARD TO HELP, AND MORETROOPS COULD BEACTIVATED IF CONDITIONSWORSEN.RIGHT NOW THE CALVARYFIREFIGHTERS NEED ISMOTHER NATURE, BUT IT'STHE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUSTAND SNOW ON THE GRNDIS STILL QUITE A WAYS OFF.REPORTING NEAR WOLFCREEK, JOHN RILEY MTNNEWS.AS OF JULY 28TH, THENATIONAL INTERAGENCYFIRE CENTER'S SITUATIONREPORT FOUND AT LET AS37-THOUSAND WILDFIRESHAVE BURNED ACROSS THECOUNTRY SINCE THE STARTOF THE YEAR.