Two big rainstorms from Sept. 13 to Sept. 20 were season-ending events for western Montana, he said. 

Acres burned by wildfires in Montana reached 1.2 million acres in 2017, the second largest wildfire season since 1988 behind the year 2012, said [Mike Richmond, a meteorologist with the Northern Rockies Coordination Center in Missoula].

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Acres burned by wildfires in Montana reached 1.2 million acres in 2017, the second largest wildfire season since 1988 behind the year 2012, Richmond said.