Stag Fire

200062,348 acresMontana

The Stag Fire burned 62,348 acres, about 97 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on July 26, 2000.

Watch how it happened

Stag Fire · 2000

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionJuly 26, 2000Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area62,348 ac
Revealed—
Counties2

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the Stag Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered2.1%1,328
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive13%8,239
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive27%16,703
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change58%36,023
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before0.1%52

2% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 1,328 acres; 15% 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.

Acres burned by county
Powder River CountyMT32,396
Rosebud CountyMT29,984

Other large fires in Montana in 2000

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.