Recent precipitation and cooler weather have stalled growth on the Bowles Creek fire, while lighting has sparked blazes in other locations in the Bitterroot Valley.
The lighting-caused Bowles Creek fire, burning 3 miles west of Skalkaho Pass, grew more than 400 acres on Tuesday as hot, dry conditions intensified fire conditions across western Montana.
The fire had burned 3,980 acres in steep terrain on both the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests as of Monday morning. The blaze is 5% contained.