Air quality rapidly deteriorated this afternoon across much of Montana thanks to wildfire smoke. And that smoke is going to stick around for at least a few more days.

Fire crews in Missoula spent the day Friday mopping up the remnants of Thursday’s grass fire that scorched the face of Mount Sentinel just south of the University of Montana.

A wildfire that has blackened the base of Mount Sentinel east of the University of Montana is now 75 percent contained, according to a 9 p.m. update from UM. The fire is burning east of Pioneer Court along the hill’s southern edge. At least two helicopters were dumping buckets of water on the blaze. The fire's growth is stalled out for now, according to the Missoula fire chief.

The National Weather Service recorded at least 1,700 lighting strikes across the Northern Rockies last night and early this morning. Over 200 of them hit a hot and parched western Montana where fire danger is increasing.

Various fire restrictions blanket at least half of Montana as a heat wave tightens its grip across the northern Rockies. Hot temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds have prompted Red Flag Warnings for portions of Central and North Central Montana through Monday evening. That means critical fire weather conditions are, or will soon, occur.

The Bear Creek Fire near Lemhi, ID was mapped last night, doubling the size estimate to nearly 4,000 acres and zero percent contained. The fire is sending smoke across southwest and central Montana. Officials expect extreme fire behavior to continue today. Bureau of Land Management lands southeast of Salmon along the Montana state line are closed, as is a section of the Continental Divide Trail.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for most of Montana until midnight Wednesday. A red flag warning means critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly. The combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. More of Montana has been placed under stage 1 fire restrictions or burn bans until further notice.

Firefighters around Montana are using all available resources to contain wildfires and keep them as small as possible as part of a national strategy to limit the spread of the coronavirus among firefighting personnel.

A wildfire 15 miles southwest of Miles City is spurring evacuations. That’s according to a tweet Thursday afternoon from the Bureau of Land Management. According to the BLM tweet, the Pumpkin Fire was reported around 1 p.m. Thursday and is estimated at 2,500 acres. A BLM spokesperson says 50 structures, including 16 homes are threatened, and evacuations are underway. According to the City of Miles City facebook page, Tongue River road south of town is closed to all but emergency traffic.

The Old Baldy Fire , burning east of Twin Bridges in the in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, remains zero percent contained. The lightning-caused fire has forced the closure of roads in the Madison Ranger District from Dry Boulder Creek to Old Mill Creek, including Branham Lakes Campground.