Cherry Peak Fire (MT)
True color
Fire (SWIR)
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.
🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire
Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.
Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).
Quick facts
- Location
- 11 Miles SE from Thompson Falls, MT
- Personnel
- 132
- Complexity
- Type 3 Incident
- Fuel
- Timber (Litter and Understory)
- Behavior
- Moderate, Backing, Single Tree Torching
- Jurisdiction
- USFS · Federal land
Burning across federal timber land within Sanders County, the active Cherry Peak Fire located 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, Montana, has consumed 204 acres since it started on August 18, 2026. The incident has been burning for four days with an average daily growth of approximately 51 acres per day. Satellites are picking up five heat signatures nearby over the 48-hour window, illustrating the local spread of the fire front. Currently managed by a Type 3 Team under the United States Forest Service with 136 personnel assigned, the incident has accumulated a cost of 1,079,444 US dollars.
Fire behavior on the ground is characterized as moderate and backing, accompanied by single tree torching within timber, litter, and understory fuels. Despite zero containment, the Type 3 Incident poses challenges as response efforts continue.
This Montana incident unfolds during the typical regional fire season which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, 2,970,412 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a total that is 46% below the two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in Montana for 5 days. So far it has affected roughly 204 acres — about 0.8 km². Crews report no containment yet, so the fire can still spread.
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 2,982,133 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 46% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.
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