ASHLAND — The Deadman Fire in Southeast Montana grew overnight to nearly 19,000 acres while two other wildfires in the region merged, according to an update from fire officials on Tuesday morning.
Now the state's largest wildfire, the Deadman Fire is estimated to be 20% contained. The size of the fire was estimated Monday at nearly 16,000 acres.
The Hackley and Prairie fires have burned together, fire officials said, reaching an estimated combined 6,540 acres. The wildfire will now be referred to as the Prairie Fire.
Fire officials said the Prairie Fire is 50% contained. The McGhee Fire at 3,553 acres is 10% contained, and the Four Mile Fire at 2,082 acres is 1% contained.
The fires are burning south of Birney and north of Tongue River Reservoir in Rosebud and Big Horn counties.
A Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3 took command of the complex of wildfires on Monday.
"The most active fire is McGhee, pushing east and north towards Birney on Sunday night," according to a fire update posted Tuesday morning on the Rosebud County Disaster and Emergency Services Facebook page. "On Monday, crews conducted successful burnouts along the north side and will continue strengthening those lines today. South of Pyramid Butte on the east, the fire made a big push towards Hanging Woman Creek Monday afternoon. A grader improved lines along the eastern side while crews did burnout operations, supported by Very Large Air Tankers (VLATs) with retardant drops. An overnight shift worked to hold and improve the lines. Fire managers are assessing and implementing a strategy to tie together the eastern and southern lines."
In Big Horn County, an evacuation warning is in place for residents from the intersection of Dale Creek Road and East Fork Canyon Road, east to the county line; from the intersection of Dale Creek Road and East Fork Canyon Road south to the intersection of Birney Road and Highway 314; from the intersection of Highway 314 and Birney Road east to the county line.
In Rosebud County, an evacuation warning is in place for residents along the Tongue River Road from the Tongue River Bridge at Wall Creek to the southern Rosebud County line.
An evacuation warning means people should be aware of and monitor the situation closely, being prepared to evacuate if needed as the status could change quickly.
The weather remains hot and dry for the foreseeable future, fire officials said. Another cold front on Tuesday is forecast to bring slightly cooler temperatures and higher humidity. But as the front passes, a ridge of high pressure will build bringing hotter temperatures and lower humidity.
