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Camp Creek Fire (Montana)

Ended · 100% containedCrews stopped it spreading on 100% of the perimeter. Not the same as out, and not 100% burned. · 9,725 acres (3,936 hectares) · Started · Updated

This fire in numbers42 days
3,936Hectares9,725Acres42Days it lasted
Containment100%

Started on Aug 21, 2026.

United States todayLive
49Active855Hotspots 48h802 kHectares
Last 7 days · fallingHow many named wildfires were burning on each of the last 7 days. It rises when there are more than on the earlier days.
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Camp Creek Fire (Montana) — Sentinel-2 true color Camp Creek Fire (Montana) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) 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

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Quick facts

Location
25 miles northeast of Seeley Lake, MT
Cause
Natural
People working on it
1 people
Complexity
Type 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning
Timber (Litter and Understory)
How it's behaving
MinimalSmoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.
Jurisdiction
USFS · Federal land
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.

Burning across federal timberlands in Powell County, Montana, the natural-cause Camp Creek Fire has reached full containment after a 27-day run that burned 9,725 acres. Located 25 miles northeast of Seeley Lake, the incident averaged a growth of approximately 360 acres per day.

By the time containment was reached, fire behavior had dropped to minimal and smoldering within the timber litter and understory fuels. Operations were managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander supported by a single personnel member under the USFS, with total costs reaching $785,615 for the Type 3 Incident.

This Montana blaze occurred during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 3,243,965 hectares burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 41% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Montana for 41 days. In total it burned about 9,725 acres — around 39 km².

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.

The bigger picture in United States

Across United States, roughly 3,347,504 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 39% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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