Smoldering in plain sight: How coal seam mapping is helping mitigate fire risk across the state

Suzie Netti and her husband, Jay, were luckier than some of their neighbors when the Remington Fire came through Rosebud County last summer. They evacuated most of their animals, including almost all of their cattle. Some of their neighbors lost 75-90% of their herds.

Still, the couple is spending significant amounts of time and money to recover after the blaze. “ I think we’ve figured something like 105 miles of fence to rebuild,” Suzie Netti told Montana Free Press in a phone interview in late August, adding that replacing a single mile of fencing can cost upward of $10,000.

A year after the fire, they’re just one family working to rebuild from Montana’s largest fire of 2024. But on their ranch, the blaze still simmers. “We have two active spots on our property,” Suzie Netti said.

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