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Sand Creek Fire (Montana)

Active · 36% contained · 35,509 acres · started 2026-08-01 · updated 2026-09-07

This fire in numbersDay 41

14,370Hectares35,509Acres41Days burning

Containment36%

Started on Aug 1, 2026. 64% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

101Active330Hotspots 48h1.7 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 color Fire (SWIR)

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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).

Active fires nearby4 · 100 km

13KM NEBobcat Lakes Fire10,895 acres · 66% contained 64KM NWMoose Fire6,005 acres · 15% contained 81KM NWBlack Bear Fire2,126 acres · 30% contained 81KM NWNature Grove Fire1,422 acres · 0% contained

Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 5 Miles E from Wisdom, MT
Personnel: 257
Complexity: Type 3 Incident
Fuel: Timber (Litter and Understory)
Behavior: Minimal, Backing, Creeping, Smoldering
Jurisdiction: USFS · Federal land

Burning for 37 days across 35,509 acres of federal timber and understory in Beaverhead County, Montana, the active Sand Creek Fire is maintaining an average daily growth of approximately 960 acres per day near Wisdom. Currently managed by a Complex Incident Management Team as a Type 1 Incident with 401 personnel deployed by the USFS, the fire exhibits minimal, backing, creeping, and smoldering behavior, achieving 36 percent containment while accumulating suppression costs of $30,527,664.

This Montana incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season spanning from June to October. On a national level, a total of 3,185,593 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure that sits 42 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Montana for 40 days. So far it has affected roughly 35,509 acres — about 144 km². Crews have contained 36% of the perimeter, but most of the fire line is still open.

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