Fire roaring across the Northern Cheyenne Reservation since Tuesday afternoon picked its victims at random.

"My house wasn't burned, but two neighbors 50 feet away were burned to the ground," said Allen Fisher, who was sheltering Wednesday with 50 others at the Northern Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club in Lame Deer.

Another 150, mostly from the Ashland area, spent the night at the school gym in Lame Deer.

Fire burned power lines, plunging most of the fire area including Ashland, Lame Deer, Busby and Broadus in the dark late Tuesday night, said Alan See, general manager of Tongue River Electric. Power was restored to Lame Deer and Busby early Wednesday afternoon, but will likely be out for at least until Friday at Broadus and Ashland, he said.

At a noon press conference Wednesday at the Billings airport, state fire officials said the Ash Creek fire was estimated to have grown to 100,000 acres.

Bob Harrington of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation said conditions for the remainder of Wednesday were expected to be nearly as bad as those on Tuesday, despite cooler temperatures.