Beaverhead County, Montana · Wildfire
| Metric | Last report | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size |
27,736 acres Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
31,652 acres
Aug 16, 5:00 AM
+3,916 acres
was 27,736 acres · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+3,916 acres
in about 12 hours
|
| Containment |
0% Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
1%
Aug 16, 5:00 AM
+1 percent
was 0% · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+1 percent
in about 12 hours
|
| Crew size |
405 Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
457
Aug 16, 5:00 AM
+52
was 405 · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+52
in about 12 hours
|
| Money spent |
$6.3M Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
$7.2M
Aug 16, 5:00 AM
+$877,189
was $6.3M · Aug 15, 5:01 PM
|
+$877,189
in about 12 hours
|
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The Sand Creek Fire is a wildfire near Beaverhead County, Montana. It has burned about 31,652 acres (about 24,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 1% of its edge; the other 99% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 2 weeks ago. About 457 people are on it, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. We're also tracking 5 other active fires within about 75 miles.
The size and containment above are current as of Sunday, August 16th at 5:00 a.m. CDT.
Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.
A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.
Overnight
45°F · Partly Cloudy
Wind 7 mph S · 2% chance of rain
Sunday
69°F · Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 3 to 9 mph SW · 30% chance of rain
Sunday Night
47°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
Wind 3 to 9 mph ESE · 31% chance of rain
Monday
70°F · Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 3 to 9 mph SW · 18% chance of rain
Monday Night
50°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 6 mph NNE · 36% chance of rain
Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Sunday, August 16th at 5:02 a.m. CDT.
About 457 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. The government rates it a Type 1 Incident (the highest complexity level). About $7 million has been spent on it so far.
The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.
We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:
Within about 75 miles we're tracking 5 other active fires, closest first:
Fighting fire is a job you can get
Wildland firefighting is an entry-level job. You start with no experience and no college degree, and one season pays more than most summer internships.
Most crews hire in fall and winter for the next summer, when more jobs open up.
Montana has 2 of these jobs open right now.
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