Montana National Guard returns home after fighting Washington wildfires

A Chinook crew from the Montana Army National Guard returned Monday after assisting in wildfire fighting in Washington state, an Army press release announced.

On Aug. 7, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte issued an executive order to deploy the Montana National Guard to support Washington’s firefighting efforts, according to a press release on the state of Montana’s official website. Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, or EMAC, the Montana National Guard was able to share personnel and equipment during the wildfire emergency. EMAC is a ratified mutual aid agreement between all fifty states.

“When Washington needed additional aviation support, Montana answered the call,” Brig. Gen. Trent Gibson, adjutant general of Montana, said in the release. “Our soldiers brought their skill and experience to a demanding mission, working with our partners to help protect Washington communities. They answered the call, did the job and represented Montana with professionalism. I’m proud of the difference they made.”

The initial Montana National Guard support package is scheduled to depart for Washington on August 11 and includes one Montana Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook Heavy-lift helicopter, its crew, and one maintainer to total five soldiers. 

Montana Army National Guard members return to Helena, Montana, Aug. 24, 2026, after supporting wildfire suppression efforts in Washington. The Montana Guard crew flew more than 40 hours, completed 89 water-bucket drops and delivered approximately 178,000 gallons of water in support of firefighting operations. (Devin Doskey/U.S. Army)

The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lifting helicopter used to carry water buckets, personnel and equipment. The Montana National Guard’s five-person CH-47 Chinook crew completed 89 bucket drops, delivering around 178,000 gallons of water to firefighters on the ground.

“There were some pretty wild dip sites,” Chinook pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Austin Pacheco said in the release. “We were going over mountains at about 8,000 feet, dropping down to around 5,000 feet to dip and then dropping water around that same elevation. We were crossing ridges the whole time.”

The Montana crew, along with Washington Army National Guard aircrews from the 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation Battalion, supported firefighting at six fires across central and eastern Washington.

“It was a great experience,” Pacheco said. “Especially as a pilot, this is what you train for. For us to be able to go over there and do our jobs and help with the fires was amazing.”

As of Friday, Aug. 21, there were 13 current large fires, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Since the wildfires started in June, 407,724 acres across the state have burned.