Beaver Creek Fire, Colstrip, Montana

True view Fire view

⟷

True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location8 miles northeast of Ashland, MT

CauseNatural

What's burningTimber (Grass and Understory)

How it's behavingModerate

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$10,000

Glossary: what each term means

Minimal

Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.

Smoldering

Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

Creeping

Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

Moderate

Spreads with low, steady flames.

Active

Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.

Extreme

Fast and unpredictable.

Running

Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.

Flanking

Grows along the sides, not head-on.

Backing

Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

Crowning

Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.

Short Crown Runs

Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.

Torching

Whole trees flaring up like torches.

Isolated Torching

Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

Group Torching

Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.

Spotting

Wind carries embers through the air and starts new fires ahead of the front: that is how a fire jumps a road or a firebreak.

Wind Driven Runs

The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.

The ones marked ● are the behaviors that make a fire harder to stop. They are not a warning or an instruction: they are the description written by the agency in charge. For decisions, always follow your emergency services.

The story so far

Summary written on Sep 11, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across private lands eight miles northeast of Ashland, Montana, the active Beaver Creek Fire has grown to 505 acres in Powder River County since starting on September 10, 2026. Satellites have registered six heat detections over the past 48 hours, highlighting the ongoing activity of the blaze as it moves through timber featuring grass and understory. Currently exhibiting moderate fire behavior, the incident is managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander overseeing 40 personnel.

This fire occurs against the backdrop of a broader national season that typically runs from June to October. Across the country, 3,207,126 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 41% below the two-decade average.

With zero containment reported thus far, suppression operations for this Type 4 incident have accumulated $10,000 in costs. The natural-caused blaze continues to be monitored and actively managed on the ground.