Montana · Active · 3,364 acres

Skillet Fire, Montana

3,364

Acres reported

82%

Contained

+7

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 Skillet Fire is listed as active at 3,364 acres, 82% contained, in Lincoln County, Montana.

Since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC: +7 acres.

The most recent mapped perimeter (Aug 16, 2026, 10:02 UTC) covers 3,364 acres; the mapped perimeter has been updated 50 times since the fire began.

No satellite heat detections matched to this incident in the last 24 hours (last one Aug 12, 2026, 10:43 UTC).

Skillet 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
3,364 acres
Containment
82%
Status
Active
Discovered
Jul 29, 2026
Location
Lincoln County, Montana
Origin point
48.4913, -114.8667
Peak reported size
3,375 acres
Perimeter mapped
Aug 16, 2026 (47 hours 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).

  • Whitefish, MT25 mi E of the origin · pop. 7,073
  • Eureka, MT28 mi N of the origin · pop. 1,074
  • Libby, MT32 mi W of the origin · pop. 2,645
  • Columbia Falls, MT32 mi E of the origin · pop. 5,093
  • Kalispell, MT33 mi SE of the origin · pop. 22,052

Other fires nearby

  • Laughing Waters Fire19 mi away · 0.1 acres

All Montana wildfires →

Skillet Fire daily history

The largest size and containment reported each UTC day, from our 15-minute archive of the federal feed (first seen Jul 30, 2026, 12:15 UTC).

Day (UTC)Reported sizeChangeContained
Aug 18, 20263,364 acres082%
Aug 17, 20263,364 acres+782%
Aug 16, 20263,357 acres0
Aug 15, 20263,357 acres−6
Aug 14, 20263,363 acres−12
Aug 13, 20263,375 acres0
Aug 12, 20263,375 acres+53
Aug 11, 20263,322 acres+23
Aug 10, 20263,299 acres+1
Aug 9, 20263,298 acres+71
Aug 8, 20263,227 acres+238
Aug 7, 20262,989 acres0
Aug 6, 20262,989 acres+119
Aug 5, 20262,870 acres+376
Aug 4, 20262,494 acres0
Aug 3, 20262,494 acres+1,086
Aug 2, 20261,408 acres0
Aug 1, 20261,408 acres+463
Jul 31, 2026945 acres+390
Jul 30, 2026555 acres

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Skillet Fire questions, answered from the data

How big is the Skillet Fire?

As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Skillet Fire is reported at 3,364 acres (peak reported size 3,375 acres). Since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC: +7 acres.

Is the Skillet Fire contained?

Not fully. It was 82% 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 Skillet Fire?

The reported point of origin is at 48.4913, -114.8667 in Lincoln County, Montana. Nearest towns: Whitefish (25 mi E), Eureka (28 mi N), Libby (32 mi W). The map on this page shows the most recent mapped perimeter.

Is the Skillet 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 Skillet 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 →