GREAT FALLS — Two fires sparked in Chouteau County on Thursday, March 20, 2025, and were driven by powerful winds. Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain and extinguish the fires before they damaged any structures or caused any injuries.
Wind whips two wildfires in Chouteau County
The Chouteau County Sheriff's Office posted on social media:
Today’s Fire on MT HWY 80 MM17 was called in at 230 this afternoon. Responders from Geraldine were paged out within minutes. Calls started coming in shortly after regarding fire at MM5, at which time Fort Benton fire was paged out. Unknown as to what caused fire,however one caller did speculate a vehicle that was dragging chains could have thrown sparks. Wind conditions in the area caused fire to spread rapidly and ground conditions created challenges for efforts being made by the fire department. Huge Thank you to the Fort Benton Fire Department, Geraldine Fire Department, County Road Crew and neighboring citizens that assisted. Between the Rapid response and Outstanding mutual aid between departments the fire is now out.
