Griffin Fire, Montana — Map & Containment

Yesterday's image: fire shows in orange and red. NASA MODIS

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location25 miles southeast of Ashland, MT

CauseNatural

What's burningTimber (Grass and Understory)

How it's behavingMinimalBacking — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

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

JurisdictionUSFS · Federal land

Cost so far$750,000

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 Aug 5, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across 738 acres of federal timber and grass understory in Powder River County, Montana, the active Griffin Fire has consumed land at an approximate daily growth rate of 369 acres over its first two days of burning. Located 25 miles southeast of Ashland, satellites are picking up eight heat signatures in the 48-hour window, mapping the spread of the front near its federal land base under USFS management.

Observed behavior on the ground shows moderate, backing, and smoldering conditions as 54 personnel battle the natural-cause blaze, achieving 20 percent containment. Operating under a Type 4 Incident management structure, firefighting efforts have accumulated a cost of $750,000.

This fire occurs during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 2,572,960 hectares burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 53 percent below the two-decade average.