Fire in Blaine County grows despite rain and calming winds

While the Coal Ridge Fire in Blaine County has grown significantly, Tuesday night rain and calmer winds seem to have kept the fire from spreading more uncontrollably.

A release from the Montana Bureau of Land Management Wednesday said the fire has now been mapped at 1,200 acres, up from the previous estimate of 450 acres the day before, having burned 790 acres of private land.

The release said 166 acres of Bureau of Land Management managed lands, including areas within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and Havre Field Office areas, have also been burned along, with 250 acres of...