The Ash Creek Fire ravaging Montana in and around Lame Deer and the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation had risen to 186,800 acres, or about 265 square miles, as of Monday night July 2.
On July 1 it jumped Highway 212, which is now closed between Ashland and Broadus due to smoke and fire, InciWeb reported. As of Monday morning July 2 it was 55 percent contained, according to InciWeb, though the Associated Press reported it had burned 16 homes and 22 outbuildings.
Fire safety officials urged residents not to engage in fireworks for the Fourth of July, and Northern Cheyenne posted a notice on its site: “There will be NO FIREWORKS allowed from this date until further notice from this office. There will be NO OPEN FIRES allowed for any reason. —NC President Leroy Spang.”
