FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCHOR: And it is another grueling day on the front lines for thousands of firefighters fanned out across the rugged terrain in 12 western states. Manpower and equipment are stretched thin, and all too often success depends on which way the wind blows, literally. Joining us from Hamilton, Montana now, CNN's Rusty Dornin -- Rusty.</s>RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Frank, the wind will be blowing today, which is something that firefighters do not like to hear. They expect the winds to kick up this afternoon here in the Bitterroot Valley, which could cause some flair-ups, some torching, causing the fire to, as they say, "run," which causes firefighters to have to back off. But there is a cold front that's coming in tonight or tomorrow, which may bring some rain. They're saying a half inch now. There are some other forecasts saying that there may be more. They need quite a bit of rain here to quell the 31 fires that are burning in Montana that have burned more than 670,000 acres here. But the perimeters of the fire don't seem to be growing. They are getting flare-ups and hot spots in some place, but the actual size and area of the perimeter is not growing, so there is some hope there. Now, some of the firefighters that are working two-week shifts are now being asked to stay indefinitely. They are not being replaced. They are also taking some of the night crews off shift. They're having trouble finding replacement crews. But in some areas, they are finding that they do not need these crews working at night. So they're keeping a close eye on the areas that are the hot spots, trying to herd the fire back into the wilderness, keep it away from the homes and property, and they are being more successful now because they feel like the cooler weather and the rain coming is just helping out a little bit. As a matter of fact, the fire here went from a containment of 5 percent to 20 percent in just one day. So, that's good news. Rusty Dornin, reporting live in Hamilton, Montana.
Fires Continue Their Rampage Across the West