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Deer Creek Fire (MT)

Active · 0% contained · 601 acres · started 2026-08-20 · updated 2026-08-21

Deer Creek Fire (MT) — Sentinel-2 true color Deer Creek Fire (MT) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True color Fire (SWIR)
True color (left): as the eye sees it.
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
18 Miles W from Marion, MT
Personnel
25
Complexity
Type 3 Incident
Fuel
Heavy Logging Slash
Behavior
Active, Uphill Runs, Wind Driven Runs
Jurisdiction
Private land

Fueled by heavy logging slash, the active Deer Creek Fire in Lincoln County, Montana, is currently uncontained at 601 acres after starting on August 20, 2026. Located 18 miles west of Marion, the blaze is exhibiting active behavior, including uphill and wind-driven runs. Satellites are picking up four heat signatures in the past 48 hours nearby, indicating the spread of the fire across private land.

Operations are being managed by a Type 3 Incident Command team with 25 personnel assigned to the response. The current incident costs have reached $200,000.

The broader wildfire landscape shows that 2,955,961 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 46% below the two-decade average for a typical fire season that spans from June to October.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Montana for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 601 acres — about 2.4 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 2,970,412 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 46% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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