EndedUpdated · Source: NIFC

Cottonwood Creek Fire, Hardin, Montana

Started

Burned
456 acres
184 hectares
Lasted
2 days
from Sep 10, 2026
Growth per day
228 acres
on average
Cottonwood Creek Fire, Hardin, Montana — Sentinel-2 true color Cottonwood Creek Fire, Hardin, 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

Key facts

Source: NIFC
LocationBig Horn County
JurisdictionPrivate land

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 land in Big Horn County, Montana, the active Cottonwood Creek Fire has scorched 456 acres since it started on September 10, 2026. This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October.

Nationwide, the broader wildfire landscape shows 3,201,049 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 42% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Montana for 1 day. In total it burned about 456 acres — around 1.8 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 3,450,833 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 37% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

Alerts near Hardin

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United States todayLive
33Active564Hotspots 48h530 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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