Nature Grove Fire Update

Bitterroot National Forest 

Local Type 3 Incident Command Team; Incident Commander: David Tingley

Fire Information Phone: 406-420-3096 Email: 2026.naturegrove@firenet.gov   

Size: 175 acres

Location: Approximately one half mile above Black Bear Campground, south of Highway 38 (Skalkaho highway) 13 miles east of Hamilton MT

Cause: Lightning Start Date: Aug. 23, 2026

Key Message:  

Evacuation Warning Notice as of Aug. 23, 2026, 9:48 p.m. Ravalli County Sheriff said Evacuation Warnings have been issued to residents on the east end of Skalkaho Highway due to the Nature Grove Fire. The warnings were issued in conjunction with USFS Incident Command and Operations as well as the Hamilton Fire Department. Residents east of the 1800 block on both sides of Skalkaho Highway have been issued Evacuation Warnings. Please refer to the Ravalli County Office of Emergency Management at http://ravallicounty.gov and the Bitterroot National Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF/and website at  https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/alerts for more information. 

Current Status:

Crews will continue to patrol and assess fire behavior within the Black Bear Fire perimeter and mop up activities will continue to increase fire containment. The Butterfly Fire is now 100% contained and remaining crews will focus on suppression repair. A UAS team will use drones to detect remaining fire behavior on the North Fork Fire and crews are expected to complete work on the shaded fuel break this week.

Weather and Fire Behavior:

A ridge of high pressure builds early this upcoming week with a warming trend. Thunderstorms expand northward Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. A few lingering showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon across northwest and southwest Montana, otherwise a cold front will bring a much drier air mass to the region. Gusty afternoon winds will lead to elevate fire weather conditions, particularly in southwest Montana. Skies clear this evening with gusty winds diminishing around sunset. 

Closures:

Forest Service Road 75 is closed from Highway 38 to the junction of Forest Service Road 720. FS Roads 720 and 711 remain closed. Highway 38 (Skalkaho Highway) remains open at this time for necessary traffic. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in effect over the Nature Grove Fire. Flying any aircraft, including drones (UAS), is prohibited.

Incident Information:

https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverBitterrootNF             https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/alerts

https://in\ciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mtbrf-nature-grove-fire

https://www.mtfireinfo.org/