HATHAWAY (AP) -- Firefighters fully contained a wildfire Wednesday evening after the blaze burned more than 500 acres in eastern Montana.
``They're going to continue to patrol it tonight, and hope to turn it back over to the county first thing in the morning,'' said Dena Lang, a fire information officer on the Graveyard fire.
Lang said firefighters contended with temperatures near 100 degrees, but were helped by slight winds that didn't surpass 5 mph.
``It was very hot out there and dry, but they were still able to hold the line,'' she said.
The fire, about 22 miles southeast of Miles City, apparently started with a lightning strike early Sunday and made runs to the southeast on Monday. The blaze, named after nearby Graveyard Creek Road, burned in mostly ponderosa pine and juniper.
The closest homes were about a mile from the fire, but Lang said they were not threatened. No one was injured.
Two helicopters assisted the 116 firefighters assigned to the blaze, along with 13 fire engines and three bulldozers. Officials said steep terrain made it difficult to get some of the equipment to the fire lines.
