Fire on the Mountain photography exhibition

Fire on the Mountain:

Photographs of Wildland Firefighting by Kyle Miller

On view October 26, 2024 - July 27, 2025

John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery

Intense flames, dramatic skies, firefighters at work, aircraft dropping fire retardant, ember trails, a “fire whirl” ascending.
A new special exhibition at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West shares dramatic images of wildland firefighting taken by a hotshot firefighter in the thick of the action.

Fire on the Mountain: Photographs of Wildland Firefighting by Kyle Miller invites visitors to understand the complexities of wildland fires and the brave people who combat them. Photographed by Wyoming Hotshot Captain Kyle Miller, Fire on the Mountain provides an intimate encounter with the realities of a changing climate.

Kyle began photographing wildfires in 2004 while serving on a fire crew in Montana. Over the past 20 years, he has gradually upgraded his camera equipment to better capture the fleeting moments of these intense natural events.

A resident of Cody, Wyoming, Kyle joined the Wyoming Interagency Hotshot crew in 2010. Hotshots are highly trained, specialized wildland firefighters who use various ground tactics and hand tools to slow and stop fires from spreading. The work is physically strenuous, mentally taxing, and requires a high level of conditioning in both body and mind.

The images in this exhibition highlight two primary themes: Fire Ecology and the Human Element of Wildland Firefighting. As you explore the sampling of images here, reflect on how wildfires impact your life and influence the landscapes of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Fire on the Mountain remains on view through July 27, 2025.

Media coverage for Fire on the Mountain

All images by Kyle Miller

A Wyoming Hotspot's saw squad pose with their chain saws on a massive Douglas fir limb in Northern California in 2014.

Fire retardant is a specially formulated chemical mixture used to slow down or suppress wildfires. The characteristic red or pink color aids pilots and ground crews in knowing where retardant has been applied.

Kyle Miller set up his camera and tripod to take some long exposures at night, such as this one of the Pedro Mountain Fire in 2019.

Sawyer in the Sunrays.

Watching it Roll.

Crown fires occur when flames spread from treetop to treetop. These fires can be extremely difficult to control, often exacerbated by dry conditions and high winds, and resulting in intense heat and rapid spreading. A sawyer from the Wyoming Hotshots walks along the edge of a firing operation in Lassen National Park.

In this 20 second, single exposure, the Alder Creek Fire burns along the Bighole River in Montana with the Pintler Mountains in the background.

A fire whirl forms when intense heat from a fire creates a rotating column of air, which can draw in burning embers and debris, potentially causing the fire to spread rapidly and unpredictably.

Lighters on Rankin. Thick wildfire smoke can significantly reduce visibility by scattering light and creating a haze in the atmosphere.

A Skycrane is a highly specialized helicopter originally designed for military use. Able to life extremely heavy loads like equipment, water, and retardant, it significantly enhanced wildland firefighting by providing versatile aerial support in remote areas.

"The Ember Tree is the longest single exposure I've taken. To the eye it was almost hard to tell this tree was burning except for the occasional lonely ember drifting down. We were monitoring a prescribed burn through the night in Custer State Park. Most fuels there are flashy fuels, meaning they burn out quickly, leaving us with a fairly slow night. I was able to use a pocket tripod and leave the camera with the shutter open for nearly an hour creating the wild ember trails. For reference, there's another shot of this tree called Single Ember. It's a picture of the same tree but with only a 30 second exposure. The result is a single ember trail drifting down and a mostly dark tree."

~Kyle Miller

Hotshot Firefighter / Photographer

About Kyle Miller

Kyle Miller started his career in wildland fire on the Lolo National Forest in Plains, Montana, in 2004. He carried an old Kodak disposable camera on his first assignment to a fire in Alaska but soon upgraded to a small digital point-and-shoot. After six seasons on a district crew in Plains, Kyle, wanting to be more involved in the active areas of wildfires, applied for and was hired by the Wyoming Hotshots as a seasonal crewmember. Limited by the images he could capture with the point-and-shoot, he bought an entry level DSLR camera and began learning manual shooting. Eventually Kyle began hitting limits of what his gear could do with nighttime wildfires, a favorite setting, so he began using a full frame DSLRr and carrying prime lenses to take advantage of the wider apertures. He also started focusing more on utilizing images for their educational aspects.

Now as a captain with the Wyoming Hotshots, Kyle is able to combine his operational understanding of wildfire tactics and strategies with photography for public education. His images show what the men and women working to suppress fires are experiencing. Fire on the Mountain is a collection of some of his favorite images, printed on metal and displayed in burned wood frames he built himself, spanning the last decade.

Tools of the Trade

In “Sawyer Silhouette,” a wildland firefighter carries gear including a chainsaw against a backdrop of thick smoke and an orange glow.

Sawyers undertake specialized training and must earn the appropriate certifications to operate chainsaws and to identify and mitigate hazards to ensure their own safety and the safety of their crew.

Thank you to all the firefighting crews who battle blazes across the West

This exhibition is timely, as it opened while several major fires were currently burning. If you wish to learn more about wildland firefighting and how to lend your support, the Wildland Firefighter Foundation is a great place to start.

Elk Fire, northeast Wyoming

One wildfire that hit close to home for us in Wyoming this summer was the Elk Fire, now contained in the Bighorn Mountains of northeastern Wyoming. The fire affected numerous structures and natural habitats and prompted some evacuations. There is still post-fire work being done in the area. Learn how to help at elkfirewyo.com.