Last week, Burns told members of a "hotshot" wildfire crew in Billings that they had done a "poor job" fighting a recent fire and should have listened to concerns of ranchers who were nearby. Word about Burns's criticism spread, well, like wildfire.

A representative of the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association told reporters he was disappointed in Burns. And Jon Tester, the Democratic candidate for Burns's Senate seat, quickly put out a press release praising firefighters for risking their lives to protect Montanans.

Burns later apologized, saying that he has the "utmost respect for firefighters." He said he should have directed his criticism toward the command and control system used for firefighting efforts that allegedly stopped ranchers from fighting the fires on their own land.

"The truth is that Conrad has nothing but admiration for firefighters and the job they do on a daily basis," said a statement released yesterday by the campaign to re-elect Burns. The statement listed nine measures to help firefighters that Burns supported, such as cosponsoring legislation that would have extended death benefits to certain aerial firefighters.