Montana · Active · 31,652 acres
Sand Creek Fire, Montana
31,652
Acres reported
1%
Contained
0
Acres since yesterday
Last updated · refreshed every 15 minutes from the NIFC WFIGS feed · awareness only — follow local authorities
Update ·
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Sand Creek Fire is listed as active at 31,652 acres, 1% contained, in Beaverhead County, Montana.
No change in reported size or containment since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC.
The most recent mapped perimeter (Aug 13, 2026, 10:18 UTC) covers 27,736 acres; the mapped perimeter has been updated 10 times since the fire began.
No satellite heat detections matched to this incident in the last 24 hours (last one Aug 13, 2026, 20:46 UTC).
Sand Creek Fire map
The most recent mapped perimeter (solid) and the previous day's perimeter (dashed), with the reported point of origin.
Latest perimeter Previous perimeter · Perimeters come from the WFIGS interagency perimeter service and are usually mapped once a day; the mapped area can differ from the reported acreage.
Key facts
- Size
- 31,652 acres
- Containment
- 1%
- Status
- Active
- Discovered
- Aug 1, 2026
- Location
- Beaverhead County, Montana
- Origin point
- 45.5547, -113.3257
- Perimeter mapped
- Aug 13, 2026 (5 days ago)
- Satellite heat, 24 h
- none matched
Nearest towns
Distances are from the reported point of origin, not from the fire’s edge (see the perimeter map for the current extent).
- Salmon, ID
- Dillon, MT
- Anaconda, MT
- Butte, MT
- Warm Springs, MT
Other fires nearby
Sand Creek Fire daily history
The largest size and containment reported each UTC day, from our 15-minute archive of the federal feed (first seen Aug 1, 2026, 20:45 UTC).
| Day (UTC) | Reported size | Change | Contained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2026 | 31,652 acres | 0 | 1% |
| Aug 17, 2026 | 31,652 acres | 0 | 1% |
| Aug 16, 2026 | 31,652 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 31,652 acres | +3,916 | — |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 27,736 acres | +160 | — |
| Aug 13, 2026 | 27,576 acres | +7,893 | — |
| Aug 12, 2026 | 19,683 acres | +3,899 | — |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 15,784 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 15,784 acres | +4,088 | — |
| Aug 9, 2026 | 11,696 acres | +2,806 | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 8,890 acres | +7,206 | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 1,684 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 1,684 acres | +284 | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | 1,400 acres | +400 | — |
| Aug 4, 2026 | 1,000 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 1,000 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 2, 2026 | 1,000 acres | +550 | — |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 450 acres | — | — |
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Sand Creek Fire questions, answered from the data
How big is the Sand Creek Fire?
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Sand Creek Fire is reported at 31,652 acres. No change in reported size or containment since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC.
Is the Sand Creek Fire contained?
Not fully. It was 1% contained as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Containment is the share of the fire's edge that has a control line; it is reported by the incident team and can lag the ground situation.
Where is the Sand Creek Fire?
The reported point of origin is at 45.5547, -113.3257 in Beaverhead County, Montana. Nearest towns: Salmon (38 mi SW), Dillon (41 mi SE), Anaconda (44 mi NE). The map on this page shows the most recent mapped perimeter.
Is the Sand Creek Fire still burning?
The federal feed still lists it as active as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC; no satellite heat detections were matched to it in the last 24 hours.
Where do I find evacuation orders for the Sand Creek Fire?
From the county sheriff and local emergency management, not from this site. Check the official Montana sources on our Montana page and your county’s alert system. FireRiskHere is for awareness only.
How current is this page?
The numbers come from the National Interagency Fire Center's WFIGS incident feed and the WFIGS perimeter service, refreshed every 15 minutes, plus NASA FIRMS satellite detections hourly. This page was last updated Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Acreage and containment are what the incident team reports and can lag by hours.
About this page
This page is generated automatically for every wildfire whose reported size reaches 1,000 acres, from FireRiskHere’s archive of the National Interagency Fire Center’s WFIGS incident feed (captured every 15 minutes), the WFIGS interagency perimeter service, and NASA FIRMS satellite detections. It stays online after the fire is contained as a record of the incident. Nothing here is an official notice — for evacuation orders and road closures follow your county sheriff and local emergency management. How the site works →