BUTTE -Responding to routine calls to natural and domestic disasters, Butte’s police and fire services had a very busy 2025.
“We’ll probably have 3,400 calls this year, so that’s just a little bit more than last year, so right around the same number of arrests and maybe just a little busier overall,” Butte Sheriff Ed Lester said.
Butte’s fire department estimates about 5,400 calls this year, which is up from last year. They had about 50 structure fires in 2025.
Behind the scenes: Butte's finest responded to 8,800+ calls in 2025
“Butte historically has a lot of structure fires. There are old structures, old wiring, sometimes poor heating units, so we always have around 40 to 60 structure fires a year,” Butte Fire Chief Zach Osborne said.
Butte police responded to some robberies, a standoff, and other calls, but the biggest event occurred in Anaconda. Butte police assisted authorities in a manhunt for the man suspected of shooting to death four people at the Owl Bar in Anaconda in August.
“It’s one of those calls nobody wants to get, but we’re happy to help when another agency has that need. Hopefully, we don’t have that happen again for a long, long time. It’s one of those things that's a tragedy. The light at the end of the tunnel is the cooperation among law enforcement officers,” Lester said.
Butte fire responded to 100 calls for service during a strong windstorm earlier this month that caused plenty of damage.
“It was fast and furious, and it hit us hard. You know, pretty unfortunate for some of these homes that lost their roofs and trees that fell on their homes. Luckily, nobody got hurt,” Osborne said.
The sheriff added he never judges a year by the seriousness of the calls.
“Somebody in our community had an unspeakable tragedy, whether it was a suicide or somebody passed away or a domestic violence incident that shook them to their core,” Lester said.
