Canyon Ferry Complex (Cave Gulch)
200026,977 acresMontana
The Canyon Ferry Complex (Cave Gulch) burned 26,977 acres, about 42 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on July 23, 2000.
Watch how it happenedCanyon Ferry Complex (Cave Gulch) · 2000
How it happened
See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.
How severely it burned
Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.
| Severity | Share | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered | 43% | 11,477 |
| Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive | 20% | 5,389 |
| Lowsurface fire, most trees survive | 15% | 4,054 |
| Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change | 22% | 6,014 |
| Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before | 0.2% | 43 |
43% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 11,477 acres; 63% burned at moderate or high severity.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.
Where it burned
Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.
| Broadwater County | MT | 17,930 |
| Lewis and Clark County | MT | 9,065 |
Other large fires in Montana in 2000
- Valley Complex (Bear)118,109 acres
- Toston-Maudlow Fire80,319 acres
- Mussigbrod Complex (Mussigbrod)64,828 acres
- Sula Complex (Maynard)62,997 acres
- Stag Fire62,348 acres
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.