No longer in the daily fire updates. The Big Buffalo Fire last appeared in an official report on August 7, 2026, at 3,598 acres and 0% contained. Fires drop off this list once crews have them contained or out; we keep the page for reference. See fires burning now →

Big Buffalo Fire

McCone County, Montana · Wildfire

No longer active Official numbers updated Aug 7, 2026 (about 1 month ago)
First reported about 7 weeks ago
Metric Now
Size
3,598 acres
Sep 20, 10:00 PM
Containment
0%
Sep 20, 10:00 PM
Crew size
18
Sep 20, 10:00 PM
Money spent
$100,000
Sep 20, 10:00 PM

Big Buffalo Fire and other nearby fires

🔥 Where this fire started Mostly contained Partly contained Containment not reported

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Big Buffalo Fire summary

The Big Buffalo Fire is a wildfire near McCone County, Montana. It has burned about 3,598 acres (about 3,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 0% of its edge; the other 100% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 7 weeks ago. About 18 people are on it, run by a Type 4 IC.

Size
3,598 acres
Containment
0%
Discovered
August 6, 2026 (first reported about 7 weeks ago)
Cause
Not reported

The size and containment above are current as of Friday, August 7th at 3:00 p.m. CDT.

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Weather & fire-spread conditions

⚠️ Red Flag Warning in effect. The National Weather Service has flagged conditions here — usually wind plus dry air — that can make fires spread fast. This is the official warning that fire danger is high right now.

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 a specific fire will do.

Day Night
This Afternoon
81°F · Areas Of Smoke
Wind 3 mph NNE · 0% rain
Wind: Calm Heat: Warm Dry
58°F · Haze then Mostly Clear
Wind 2 to 7 mph E · 0% rain
Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Dry
Saturday
90°F · Sunny then Haze
Wind 3 to 14 mph NE · 1% rain
Wind: Breezy Heat: Hot Dry
58°F · Partly Cloudy
Wind 8 to 15 mph ENE · 0% rain
Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry
Sunday
86°F · Mostly Sunny
Wind 9 to 13 mph ESE · 3% rain
Wind: Breezy Heat: Warm Dry
—

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Friday, August 7th at 3:05 p.m. CDT.

Who's on it

About 18 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Type 4 IC. The government rates it a Type 4 Incident. About $100,000 has been spent on it so far.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

Nearby fires to Big Buffalo Fire

No other active fires are near this one right now. It's on its own.

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