2026 Montana wildfires

2026 Montana wildfires
The East Side Fire at night on April 21
← 2025

The 2026 Montana wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in Montana.

Background

While "fire season" in Montana varies every year based on weather conditions, most wildfires occur in between May and October. Wildfires are influenced by above-average temperatures and dry conditions that influence drought. When vegetation dries out earlier in the season, wildfires are more likely to start and spread. The leading cause of wildfires in Montana is burning debris.[1] The spread rate of wildfires is affected by the buildup of fuels.[2]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref.
Rehder Creek Musselshell 5,060 February 26 March 1 Evacuation orders in Roundup and surrounding areas. [3]
March Powder River 2,268 March 20 March 22 [4]
East Side Carbon 1,219 April 20 May 19 Cause under investigation. Closed U.S. Route 212 south of Red Lodge and prompted evacuations. [5][6]
Jericho Creek Powell 2,068 May 13 June 3 Burned in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Helena. [7][8]
Bradshaw Powder River 2,689 May 26 May 31 Coal-seam fire that burned 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Broadus. [9][10]
Anticline Wibaux, Prairie 1,217 May 28 May 31 Undetermined cause. Burned in Wibaux. [11][12]
Silvertip Flathead 6,847 July 24
15%
 Lightning-caused. Burning in Bob Marshall Wilderness. [13][14]
Elder 1 Missoula 1,235 July 24 August 5 Burned southwest of Frenchtown. [15][16]
Moose Granite 5,965 July 26
10%
 Lightning-caused. Burning 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Philipsburg and prompting evacuations. [17][18]
Skillet Flathead, Lincoln 3,384 July 29
82%
 Lightning-caused. Burning west of Olney and prompted evacuations. [19][20]
Bobcat Lakes Beaverhead 10,030 July 31
40%
 Unknown cause. Burning 12 miles (19 km) east of Wisdom and prompting evacuations. [21][22]
Sand Creek Beaverhead 33,088 August 1
14%
 Unknown cause. Burning 7.6 miles (12.2 km) southwest of Wisdom and prompting evacuations. [23][22]
Black Bear Ravalli 2,126 August 1
22%
 Lightning-caused. Burning 15 miles (24 km) east of Hamilton. [24]
Middle Coulee Chouteau 1,517 August 2
0%
 Burning east of Floweree. [25]
Windmill Stillwater, Sweet Grass 4,253 August 19 August 24 Undetermined cause. Burning in Reed Point and prompted evacuations. [26][27]
Camp Creek Lewis and Clark, Powell 6,436 August 21
0%
 Closing portions of Lewis and Clark National Forest and Clark National Forest. [28]

References

  1. ↑ "Montana Fire Season: In-Depth Guide". wfca.com. Western Fire Chiefs Association. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  2. ↑ "A New Approach to Montana Wildfires". wildmontana.org. Wild Montana. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Rehder Creek Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  4. ↑ "March Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ "East Side Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  6. ↑ "East Side Fire Information". InciWeb. Archived from the original on May 23, 2026. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Jericho Creek Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Jericho Creek Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Bradshaw Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Bradshaw Fire Burns Nearly 2,700 Acres". Powder River Examiner. June 4, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Anticline Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  12. ↑ Heidner, Brendan (June 4, 2026). "Anticline Fire chars 1,200 acres, draws crews from across eastern MT". Terry Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Silvertip Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  14. ↑ Dresser, Maggie (July 29, 2026). "Silvertip Fire in Bob Marshall Wilderness Grows to 4,136 Acres". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Elder 1 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Elder 1 Fire, southwest of Frenchtown, grows to over 900 acres". NBC Montana. July 29, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Moose Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Lightning-sparked Moose Fire burns 5,678 acres near Philipsburg". NBC Montana. August 17, 2026. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Skillet Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Skillet Fire grows to 2,700 acres near Olney". NBC Montana. August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Bobcat Lakes Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Bobcat Lakes Fire grows to 1,829 acres east of Wisdom; Sand Creek at 1,000 acres". NBC Montana. August 3, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Sand Creek Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Black Bear Fire Map". InciWeb. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Middle Coulee Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Windmill Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  27. ↑ Hamby, Paul; Mitchell, Alex (August 24, 2026). "Update: Stillwater County fire mostly contained after Sunday storms". Billings Gazette. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Camp Creek Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
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