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BILLINGS- Firefighters had their hands full tackling a wildfire that blew up to over 1,000 acres in less than an hour west of Billings on Tuesday.

The Dry Creek fire sparked about six miles north of Laurel just after 3 p.m. with authorities saying the blaze was sparked when homeowner, using a metal grinder in his garage, caught his garage on fire - which in turn spread to the nearby grass.

The Dry Creek Fire has burned 1,150 acres as of Tuesday night and we're told some structures were lost to the flames. We're still waiting confirmation on how many buildings and whether they were primary residences or out buildings.

The Laurel Fire Department tells us one man was taken to the hospital with burn injuries suffered in this blaze.

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Information Officer Paula Short says fire crews were actually helped out by the wind late Tuesday when it changed direction and blew the fire back onto itself.

Two 20-person crews kept an eye on the hot spots overnight and Short says air tankers and helicopters plan to attack those hot spots from the air early Wednesday.