Montana · Active · 1,000 acres

Windmill Fire, Montana

1,000

Acres reported

0%

Contained

Acres since yesterday

Last updated · refreshed every 15 minutes from the NIFC WFIGS feed · awareness only — follow local authorities

Update ·

As of Aug 20, 2026, 01:45 UTC, the Windmill Fire is listed as active at 1,000 acres, 0% contained, in Stillwater County, Montana.

Satellites (VIIRS/MODIS) registered 10 heat detections matched to this incident in the last 24 hours, the latest at Aug 19, 2026, 21:34 UTC.

Windmill Fire map

No perimeter has been mapped for this fire yet; the marker is the reported point of origin.

Key facts

Size
1,000 acres
Containment
0%
Status
Active
Discovered
Aug 19, 2026
Location
Stillwater County, Montana
Origin point
45.8358, -109.5235
Satellite heat, 24 h
10 detections

Nearest towns

Distances are from the reported point of origin, not from the fire’s edge.

  • Columbus, MT19 mi SE of the origin · pop. 2,042
  • Big Timber, MT21 mi W of the origin · pop. 1,648
  • Absarokee, MT22 mi S of the origin · pop. 1,150
  • Laurel, MT38 mi E of the origin · pop. 6,943
  • Billings, MT49 mi E of the origin · pop. 117,116

Other fires nearby

  • Stone Henge Fire19 mi away · 2.5 acres
  • Clab Fire41 mi away · 0.7 acres
  • Bluff Fire42 mi away · 92 acres
  • Buffalo Spring Fire43 mi away · 15 acres
  • Black Pine Fire50 mi away · 1.0 acres

All Montana wildfires →

Windmill Fire daily history

The largest size and containment reported each UTC day, from our 15-minute archive of the federal feed (first seen Aug 19, 2026, 22:15 UTC).

Day (UTC)Reported sizeChangeContained
Aug 20, 20261,000 acres00%
Aug 19, 20261,000 acres0%

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Windmill Fire questions, answered from the data

How big is the Windmill Fire?

As of Aug 20, 2026, 01:45 UTC, the Windmill Fire is reported at 1,000 acres.

Is the Windmill Fire contained?

Not fully. It was 0% contained as of Aug 20, 2026, 01:45 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 Windmill Fire?

The reported point of origin is at 45.8358, -109.5235 in Stillwater County, Montana. Nearest towns: Columbus (19 mi SE), Big Timber (21 mi W), Absarokee (22 mi S).

Is the Windmill Fire still burning?

The federal feed still lists it as active as of Aug 20, 2026, 01:45 UTC, and satellites registered 10 heat detections matched to it in the last 24 hours.

Where do I find evacuation orders for the Windmill 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 20, 2026, 01:45 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 →