Elder 1 Fire
The Elder 1 Fire was reported on July 24, 2026 in Missoula County, Montana and burned 1,235 acres. It is 100 percent contained. The cause is listed as natural.
- Size
- 1,235 acres
- Contained
- 100%
- Discovered
- July 24, 2026
- Personnel
- 129
Map
Perimeter mapped August 2, 2026 at 9:01 PM MDT, 1,235 acres (mixed methods). Point of origin 46.940, -114.321.
The incident
- Size
- 1,235 acres
- Containment
- 100%
- Discovered
- July 24, 2026 at 3:26 PM MDT
- Cause
- Natural
- Location
- 6 Miles SW from Frenchtown, MT
- County
- Missoula County
- State
- Montana
- Nearest city reported
- Huson
- Protecting agency
- USFS
- Jurisdiction
- USFS
- Land ownership at origin
- USFS
- Personnel assigned
- 129
- Incident management
- Complex Incident Management Team, Type 3 Incident
- Primary fuel
- Timber (Grass and Understory)
- Estimated cost to date
- $7,815,000
- Incident type
- Wildfire
- Unique fire identifier
- 2026-MTLNF-260296
- IRWIN identifier
- D1298BD1-66EC-461F-B00E-A06F1A8BD1C2
Growth
Mapped area at the last perimeter of each day, from July 25, 2026 (44 acres) to August 5, 2026 (1,235 acres). The largest one-day growth was 274 acres, mapped July 26, 2026.
| Day | Acres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| July 25, 2026 | 44 | |
| July 26, 2026 | 318 | +274 |
| July 27, 2026 | 510 | +192 |
| July 28, 2026 | 661 | +151 |
| July 29, 2026 | 906 | +245 |
| July 30, 2026 | 968 | +62 |
| July 31, 2026 | 1,034 | +66 |
| August 1, 2026 | 1,221 | +187 |
| August 3, 2026 | 1,234 | +13 |
| August 5, 2026 | 1,235 | +1 |
Weather in the area
This fire is no longer listed as current. The forecast for Frenchtown, MT covers the area today.
Nearby
- Frenchtown, MT7 miles northeast of the fire’s origin
- Orchard Homes, MT14 miles east of the fire’s origin
- Missoula, MT16 miles east of the fire’s origin
- Lolo, MT17 miles southeast of the fire’s origin
- East Missoula, MT18 miles east of the fire’s origin
- Bonner-West Riverside, MT21 miles east of the fire’s origin
Montana wildfires today Wildfires of 2026 All current fires
Incident record from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS), as the incident’s managers report it; last updated August 8, 2026 at 11:02 AM MDT. Identifier 2026-MTLNF-260296.