forest fire

Containment grew from 35% to 52% since Friday as a cold front moved through the area.

It's quite obvious that Montana's air quality is currently terrible. Dozens of counties with high particulate levels are now under an Air Quality Alert until further notice.

The Howe Ride Fire in Glacier National Park has grown to over 2,600 acres.

The Roaring Lion Fire which started on the last day of July, is located just 5 miles south of Hamilton, Montana. It's "birth" was captured on video.

Nearly 1,000 acres in the Custer National Forest south of Big Timber are scheduled to be burned as early as possible this Spring. THE EXACT DATE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED.

As of Sunday afternoon, the fire burning south of Browning in northern Montana (Spotted Eagle Fire - Family Peak Complex Wildfire) has grown significantly and is not yet contained in any measurable amount. We've got the latest from the Lewis & Clark National Forest:

MANDATORY EVACUATION West of Inverness including Inverness Road, Loc Lomond and Black Hawke. The fire is moving towards Old Yellowstone Trail and several houses are being warned of the possible danger. Real time map here. An evacuation of all houses on the west side of Inverness is now necessary. Park County officials are reporting that a fire has started at mile marker 36 on 89 South.

Photos by Michael Blessing Here's the latest info and impact of local Bear Trap and Pony fires (current restrictions, road closures, etc.)

Arron Booth Photography captured a haunting time lapse video of the Pony area fire in southwest Montana. See it here:

A local Bozeman resident had to drive through the active fire area and he captured a keen view on WHAT exactly has burned so far.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather for all of Southwest Montana through 9 p.m. tonight. The warning has been issued again today due to gusty winds and low relative humidity, which makes fighting local fires difficult.

Reports today tell that the cause of the blazing fire at Bear Trap was fireworks and has grown to 2,250 acres. The high winds and difficult terrain are making it difficult to combat the flames.