The fire is now combined with the Rosebud Complex with Type II overhead controlling the fire. A name change from Lynch Coulee to Chalky has consumed approximately 60,000 acres since it started Wednesday, August 1, 2012.

Here are early images of the Lynch Coulee Fire that crossed U.S. Hwy 39 this afternoon sending Lynch Coulee, Rosebud Creek and Lame Deer residents fleeing in evacuation Thursday, August 2, 2012. It is undetermined the size of the incident which started miles off the reservation and quickly spread threatening and forcing the evacuation of Lame Deer on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana.

Current Status: A type two Incident Management Team  under the direction of Incident Commander Stan Benes assumed command at  6:00 a.m. Thursday. Six fires are currently burning south of Rosebud, MT  with the Chalky Fire S/SW of Colstrip burning actively to the east at  approximately 60,000 acres. The Sand Creek Fire was also burning  actively during the night and is located east of the Rosebud Creek Road  and Diamond X Ranch. The Juniper and Sweeny Fires are located  approximately four miles south of I-94 and the Beaver and Big John Fires  are located further south of the Sweeney Fire. Approximately 30 homes  remain threatened in the Prairie Rose subdivision. The Wild Horse  subdivision, approximately 30 miles south of Rosebud, also remains  threatened at this time.

The fires are known as the Juniper (5,110  acres), Big John (1,005 acres), Sweeney (9,016 acres), Beaver (1,435  acres), Sand Creek (758 acres), and Chalky (60,000). These acres are  rough estimates only. Crews will be working to gather more accurate GIS  data.