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Inactive

Cherry Peak

Sanders, MT · Natural

This fire is no longer active. It burned 173 acres in Sanders before dropping off the national incident feed.

0%Inactive

173

Acres Burned

84

Days Burning

Aug 18, 2026

Discovered

2mo ago

Last Update

Growth

No growth in the last day, containment at 100%
Aug 18 / 30 acresSep 11 / 173 acres

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Public Lands Nearby

11 public land units within 75 miles

St. Joe National Forest

Check first

National Forest / ID

34.8 mi

SW

Lolo National Forest

Go

National Forest / MT

40.6 mi

SE

Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge

Go

Wildlife Refuge / MT

50 mi

N

Coeur d'Alene National Forest

Go

National Forest / ID

50.9 mi

W

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness

Go

Wilderness / MT

54.7 mi

NW

Mission Mountains Wilderness

Go

Wilderness / MT

61.9 mi

E

Clearwater National Forest

Check first

National Forest / ID

64.1 mi

S

Aerial Fire Depot Other

Go

National Forest / MT

64.1 mi

SE

Rattlesnake Wilderness

Go

Wilderness / MT

68.2 mi

SE

Swan River National Wildlife Refuge

Go

Wildlife Refuge / MT

68.4 mi

NE

Rattlesnake National Recreation Area

Go

Recreation Area / MT

69.3 mi

SE

Situation Updates

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

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-28-2026

Incident team
Aug 28

Incident Commander: Cole Benson (Type 4 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 173 acres; 100% containment Total Personnel: 58 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: Firefighters have reached 100% containment on the Cherry Peak Fire with a final size of 173 acres. Transfer of command from the local Type 3 Incident Management Organi...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak update: 173 acres, 100% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 28

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak containment moved from 68% to 100%.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak update: 173 acres, 68% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 27

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak containment moved from 46% to 68%.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-26-2026

Incident team
Aug 26

Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 173 acres; 46% containment Total Personnel: 106 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: Crews made progress on the Cherry Peak Fire the past two days, focusing on mop-up and securing the fire’s edge. The final mapping mission was completed Tuesday bas...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak update: 173 acres, 46% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 26

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak was remapped 27 acres lower to 173 and containment moved from 44% to 46%.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-24-2026

Incident team
Aug 24

Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 200 acres; 44% containment Total Personnel: 115 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: Firefighters continue to make progress on the Cherry Peak Fire. Due to more accurate mapping, the fire is 200 acres. Crews used handheld GPS units to walk the fire...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak update: 200 acres, 44% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 24

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak was remapped 4 acres lower to 200 and containment moved from 0% to 44%.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-23-2026

Incident team
Aug 23

Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 204 acres; 0% containment Total Personnel: 132 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: Firefighters continue to make steady progress on the Cherry Peak Fire. The fire remains at 204 acres with no change in containment and is holding within its current...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak update: 204 acres, 0% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 22

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak grew 64 acres to 204.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-22-2026

Incident team
Aug 22

Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 204 acres; 0% containment Total Personnel: 136 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: Firefighters continue to make progress on the Cherry Peak Fire. An evening infrared flight completed an overnight mapping mission, bringing the fire size to 204 acr...

InciWeb

FS Road 420 Closed to Support Firefighting Operations 08-21-2026

Closure
Aug 21

For firefighter and public safety, Forest Service Road 420 is closed starting August 21 due to firefighting operations on the Cherry Peak Fire. The closure begins at the junction of Forest Service Road 420 and Forest Service Road 7600. Forest Service Road 420 is closed south of this junction. The public is asked to avoid the area and respect the road closure so firefighters can continue suppressio...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-21-2026

Incident team
Aug 21

Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 140 acres; 0% containment Total Personnel: 115 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: The Cherry Peak Fire remains a full suppression fire. Since airtankers boxed in the fire with retardant Tuesday evening, two consecutive nights of infrared mapping ...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak Fire Update 08-20-2026

Incident team
Aug 20

Cherry Peak Fire Update - August 20 Incident Commander: Trevor Unsworth (Type 3 IC) Location: 11 miles southeast of Thompson Falls, MT Start Date: 08/18/2026 Cause: Lightning Size/Containment: 140 acres; 0% containment Total Personnel: 86 CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: An infrared (IR) flight last night mapped the Cherry Peak Fire at approximately 140 acres. The fire remains 0% contained but cont...

InciWeb

Cherry Peak update: 140 acres, 0% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 20

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak grew 10 acres to 140.

IRWIN

Cherry Peak update: 130 acres, 0% contained

Perimeter data
Aug 20

Per interagency perimeter data, the Cherry Peak containment moved from 2% to 0%.

IRWIN

Timeline

Aug 18Now

84 days since discovery

Other Fires in Montana

2 other active fires

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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: 030ea412-947e-4f4e-b609-8d1ca6fe12a4

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.