Sand Creek Fire, Wisdom, MT, Montana (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 48

14,374Hectares35,520Acres48Days burning

Containment58%

Started on Aug 1, 2026. 42% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

98Active956Hotspots 48h1.3 MHectares

Last 7 days · steady

All United States wildfires

Sand Creek Fire (Montana) — Sentinel-2 true color

Sand Creek 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

Active fires nearby4 · 100 km

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Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 5 miles east of Wisdom, MT
People working on it: 173 people
Complexity: Type 3 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: MinimalBacking — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.Creeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.
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 across 35,520 acres of federal timber land in Beaverhead County, Montana, the active Sand Creek Fire is located five miles east of Wisdom. Managed by a Type 3 Incident Command under the USFS with 195 personnel assigned, the fire has been burning for 45 days since its start on August 1, 2026, exhibiting an approximate average daily growth of 789 acres per day. Current fire behavior is minimal, characterized by backing, creeping, and smoldering within timber litter and understory fuels.

Satellite observations reveal a minimal footprint for the incident, with NASA FIRMS picking up just one heat detection in the last 48 hours, indicating limited recent spread. Despite this ongoing activity, containment efforts have reached 58 percent, with total suppression costs mounting to 34,312,350 US dollars.

The broader fire landscape reflects a quieter season than usual. Across the country, 3,216,925 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a 41 percent decrease below the two-decade average. This activity occurs within the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Montana for 47 days. So far it has affected roughly 35,520 acres — about 144 km². About 58% of the perimeter is contained — over half is secured, though hotspots remain.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.