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Black Bear

Ravalli, MT · Natural

Crews have this fire 80% contained. Nearby public lands are likely open, but check for lingering closures.

0%Near Contained

2,126

Acres Burned

54

Days Burning

Aug 2, 2026

Discovered

1w ago

Last Update

Growth

No growth in the last day, containment at 80%
Aug 6 / 33 acresSep 17 / 2,126 acres

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Threatened Public Lands

12 public land units within 75 miles

Bitterroot National Forest

Check first

National Forest / MT

16.3 mi

SW

Anaconda Pintler Wilderness

Avoid

Wilderness / MT

25.1 mi

SE

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

Check first

Wildlife Refuge / MT

28.6 mi

N

Welcome Creek Wilderness

Check first

Wilderness / MT

30.9 mi

N

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Check first

Wilderness / ID

44.5 mi

W

Deerlodge National Forest

Check first

National Forest / MT

50.3 mi

E

Aerial Fire Depot Other

Check first

National Forest / MT

53.3 mi

N

Rattlesnake National Recreation Area

Go

Recreation Area / MT

58.2 mi

N

Rattlesnake Wilderness

Go

Wilderness / MT

60.4 mi

N

Clearwater National Forest

Check first

National Forest / ID

66.5 mi

NW

Lolo National Forest

Check first

National Forest / MT

73.5 mi

N

Salmon National Forest

Go

National Forest / ID

73.8 mi

S

Situation Updates

Posted by the incident management team on InciWeb, plus changes read from NIFC interagency perimeter data

Black Bear update: 2,126 acres, 80% contained

Perimeter data
Sep 17

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear containment moved from 30% to 80%.

IRWIN

Black Bear Closure Update 09-14-2026

Closure
Sep 14

There is one road closure in the Black Bear Fire area, 15 miles east of Hamilton. A new map and order reflecting that only FSR 711 is closed is in the process of being approved and will be available as soon as possible. CLOSED: FOREST SERVICE ROAD 711 OPEN: FOREST SERVICE ROAD 75

InciWeb

Black Bear update: 2,126 acres, 30% contained

Perimeter data
Sep 6

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear containment moved from 22% to 30%.

IRWIN

Black Bear Closure Update— 08-21-2026

Closure
Aug 21

There are two road closures for the Black Bear Fire, 15 miles east of Hamilton. These closures have been implemented to ensure the safety of fire resources engaged in fire suppression efforts. The Black Bear Fire closure includes: • Forest Service Road 711 • Forest Service Road 75 from Junction with Highway 38 to the Junction of Forest Service Road 720

InciWeb

Black Bear update: 2,126 acres, 22% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 21

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear containment moved from 21% to 22%.

IRWIN

FINAL UPDATE North Fork, Black Bear and Butterfly Fires 08-19-2026

Incident team
Aug 19

FINAL UPDATE North Fork, Butterfly and Black Bear Fires—8/19/2026 Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: Chris Kramer North Fork Fire: 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 70% contained. 94 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 100% contained. Black Bear Fire: 15 mile...

InciWeb

Black Bear update: 2,126 acres, 21% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 19

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear containment moved from 20% to 21%.

IRWIN

Black Bear update: 2,126 acres, 20% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 17

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear was remapped 19 acres lower to 2,126.

IRWIN

North Fork, Black Bear and Butterfly Fires Daily Update 08-17-2026

Incident team
Aug 17

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: Chris Kramer North Fork Fire: 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 60% contained. 95 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 100% contained. 7 personnel assigned. Black Bear Fire: 15 miles E of Hamilton MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Cur...

InciWeb

North Fork, Black Bear and Butterfly Fires Daily Update— 08-15-2026

Incident team
Aug 15

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: Chris Kramer North Fork Fire: 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 60% contained. 94 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 97% contained. 10 personnel assigned. Black Bear Fire: 15 miles E of Hamilton MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Cur...

InciWeb

North Fork, Black Bear and Butterfly Fires Daily Update 08-14-2026

Incident team
Aug 14

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: Chris Kramer North Fork Fire: 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 60% contained. 94 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 97% contained. 10 personnel assigned. Black Bear Fire: 15 miles E of Hamilton MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Cur...

InciWeb

Black Bear update: 2,145 acres, 20% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 14

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear grew 39 acres to 2,145.

IRWIN

North Fork, Black Bear, and Butterfly Fires Daily Update 08-13-2026

Incident team
Aug 13

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander : Chris Kramer Fire Information Phone: 406.420.1174 Email: 2026.northforklosthorse@firenet.gov North Fork Fire: 10 Miles 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 60% contained. 98 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 97% contained. 1...

InciWeb

Black Bear update: 2,106 acres, 20% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 13

Per interagency perimeter data, the Black Bear grew 136 acres to 2,106 and containment moved from 10% to 20%.

IRWIN

North Fork, Black Bear, and Butterfly Fires Daily Update 08-12-2026

Announcement
Aug 12

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: Zach Lee North Fork Fire: 10 miles northwest of Darby, MT. Start date—7/24/2026. Currently 118 acres and 50% contained. 157 personnel assigned. Butterfly Fire: 10 miles east of Hamilton, MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Currently 67 acres and 60% contained. 19 personnel assigned. Black Bear Fire: 15 miles E of Hamilton MT. Start date—8/1/2026. Curren...

InciWeb

Timeline

Aug 2Now

54 days since discovery

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Ravalli, MT

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Data Sources

Fire data from NIFC Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) via IRWIN. Satellite hotspots from NASA FIRMS VIIRS. Situation updates are either posted by the incident management team on InciWeb or read by us from WFIGS perimeter data, and each one says which. Air quality data from EPA AirNow. Public lands boundaries from USGS PAD-US 4.0.

IRWIN ID: 98bceefd-1e76-40e6-9352-54fd64f60e7d

Important

More Than Just Parks aggregates third-party data from EPA AirNow, NOAA, NASA FIRMS, and NIFC/WFIGS. Readings can be delayed, estimated, incomplete, or wrong, and conditions on the ground change quickly. This tool is for general information only and is not a substitute for official air quality alerts, fire and evacuation orders, land manager closures, or emergency services. Verify with the managing agency and local authorities before making any travel, health, or safety decision. We make no warranty as to accuracy and accept no liability for decisions made using this information. This is not an emergency or evacuation tool. If you are near a fire, follow official evacuation orders and call 911. Terms of Service.