Nature Grove Fire, Hamilton, Montana (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 48

575Hectares1,422Acres48Days burning

Containment0%

Started on Aug 23, 2026. 100% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

49Active605Hotspots 48h802 kHectares

Last 7 days · falling

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Nature Grove Fire (Montana) — Sentinel-2 true color

Nature Grove 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

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Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 15 miles southeast of Hamilton, MT
Cause: Natural
People working on it: 5 people
Complexity: Type 5 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: MinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.Backing — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.
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 for 12 days in Ravalli County, Montana, the active Nature Grove Fire has spread across 1,422 acres at an average daily growth rate of approximately 119 acres per day. Located 15 miles southeast of Hamilton, the federally managed wildfire is burning in timber, litter, and understory on USFS land. The incident has accumulated $6,141,060 in costs and is currently being managed by a Type 3 Team with 345 personnel assigned to the Type 3 Incident.

Current fire behavior is characterized as minimal, smoldering, creeping, and backing, with zero percent containment reported so far. The fire, which started naturally on August 23, 2026, burns within a region that typically experiences its fire season from June to October. Nationally, 3,172,718 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 42% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Montana for 47 days. So far it has affected roughly 1,422 acres — about 5.8 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.