UPDATE: Malta grass fire extinguished

A grass fire ignited north of Malta on Thursday afternoon and was extinguished by 7:15 p.m.

At approximately 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Phillips County Dispatch received a call about a small fire 3 to four miles north on U.S. 191.

The cause and size of the fire are unknown at this time. Crews suspect it ignited from a vehicle or trailer throwing sparks.

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Around 1:20 p.m., while crews were responding to the fire, new reports came in of multiple fires south of Malta along a paved county road.

As of 6 p.m. Thursday evening, the fire had traveled nine miles east. 

The size of the fire is unknown at this time.

"According to our satellite, we have a hot spot with a surface temperature at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit," Victor Proton, National Weather Service senior meteorologist and fire weather program manager for the southeast region, said. "And it's large."

The hot spot extended from about seven miles east of Malta to about 30 miles southwest of Saco. 

From 70 miles away at the NWS office in Glasgow, Proton said he could see a type of cloud caused by large fire development called a pyrocumulus.

The fire has also caused a 140-mile long streak of smoke in the atmosphere.

County crews from Phillips County, Valley County, the Bureau of Land Management and numerous private landowners repsonded to the scene to fight the fire.

Crews used heavy equipment to construct fire lines and contain the fire.