Category Archives: Fire Information and Status

Reynolds Creek Fire: more evacuations ordered

Smoke from Reynolds Creek Fire, July 22, 2015
Smoke from Reynolds Creek Fire, July 22, 2015

Here is the latest press release from Glacier National Park on the Reynolds Creek Fire. Note the expanded evacuation orders . . .

Officials at Glacier National Park report that fire conditions and forecasted winds have prompted additional precautionary evacuations of the St. Mary area within Glacier National Park. These evacuations include the St. Mary Visitor Center and National Park Service administrative area. The St. Mary Campground, Rising Sun Campground, and the Rising Sun Motor Inn were previously evacuated.

Evacuations for areas adjacent to the park boundary were ordered by the Glacier County Sherriff and Blackfeet Emergency Services.

The wind-driven fire is moving quickly in dry, heavy timber and extreme fire behavior is reported. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today for Glacier National Park. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions are anticipated, including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures, factors contributing to the rapid fire growth.

At last report, the fire was estimated to be 2,000 acres. The fire management priorities are safety of public and fire-fighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire. A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park.

Fire information phone lines have been established at (406)732-7791 and (406) 732-7790.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors.

Reynolds Creek Fire now has ‘InciWeb’ page

Smoke from Reynolds Creek Fire, July 22, 2015
Smoke from Reynolds Creek Fire, July 22, 2015

The Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park now has an official Incident Information System (InciWeb) web page at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4405/. This a sort of online bulletin board for fire information, including reports, photos and maps. It is usually updated at least twice a day.

Here is the text of the current incident overview . . .

The Reynolds Creek fire was reported at approximately 3:45p.m. on Tuesday, July, 21, and is located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Current fire management priorities are firefighter and public safety, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire. A Type 1 Incident Management Team is enroute.

Fire conditions have prompted precautionary evacuations of the St. Mary area within Glacier National Park. The evacuations include the St. Mary Visitor Center and National Park Service administrative area. The St. Mary Campground, Rising Sun Campground, and the Rising Sun Motor Inn were previously evacuated. Evacuations for areas adjacent to the park boundary were ordered by Glacier County Sheriff and Blackfeet Emergency Services.

The wind-driven fire is moving quickly in dry, heavy timber and extreme fire behavior is reported. The fire is approximately 2,000 acres.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning from 3:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. today for Glacier National Park. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions are anticipated, including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures, factors contributing to the rapid fire growth.

Glacier Park scrambles to deal with Reynolds Creek Fire

Here’s another press release from Glacier Park about the Reynolds Creek Fire. Evacuations continue for campgrounds, lodgings and in the backcountry in affected areas of the park, as well as just-in-case planning for evacuations in the St. Mary area. The fire is up to 2,000 acres, probably more by now.

Firefighters and fire-fighting resources continue to respond to the Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire on the east side of Glacier National Park. At this time, the fire is estimated to be approximately 2,000 acres.  The fire management priorities are safety of public and fire-fighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

The St. Mary Campground is being evacuated. The campground has approximately 148 sites.  The Rising Sun Motor Inn, operated by Glacier National Park Lodges, and the Rising Sun Campground were evacuated Tuesday evening.

The St. Mary Visitor Center will close to the public at 12 p.m. today, Wednesday, July 22. It will be used as a fire staging area. The duration of the closure is unknown at this time.

Park rangers and personnel are searching for backcountry hikers in the area to evacuate them and direct them to safety.  The parking areas of the St. Mary Visitor Center and the Apgar Visitor Center have been established as gathering areas for park visitors that may have been separated from their group.

The park is assisting visitors retrieve their vehicles that were left along the Going-to-the-Sun Road yesterday due to fire activity in the area. One vehicle was consumed by the fire.

The fire is moving quickly in heavy timber with extreme spread potential. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in effect from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today for Glacier National Park. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions are anticipated, including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures. These conditions may create explosive fire growth potential.

Preplanning is being conducted for possible evacuation in the St. Mary area.  National Park Service personnel are working in cooperation with Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and Blackfeet Emergency Management.

All interpretive programs in the St. Mary Valley are cancelled until further notice. There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area.

An interagency incident command team has been ordered and will arrive this afternoon. Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park.

A fire information phone line has been established at 406-732-7791.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors.

Reynolds Creek Fire at 2,000 acres; more evacuations and closings

Glacier National Park has their hands full with the Reynolds Creek Fire. It is now at 2,000+ acres and rates a Type I management team . . .

A rapidly spreading wildfire in Glacier National Park has now covered 2,000 acres and burned a car left by a visitor on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Another campground is being evacuated this morning, and pre-planning is underway for the possible eventual evacuation of the community of St. Mary.

“The fire is moving quickly in heavy timber with extreme spread potential,” said Glacier Park spokeswoman Denise Germann.

Read more (with photos) . . .

Smoke at St. Mary Entrance to GNP
Smoke at St. Mary Entrance to GNP

Red flag warning for this afternoon

The National Weather Service posted a red flag warning for this afternoon, July 22, due to gusty winds and very low humidities. It runs from 3pm to 9pm . . .

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
921 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

MTZ105-230300-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0003.150722T2100Z-150723T0300Z/
FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-
921 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS
THE FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* SYNOPSIS: A SURGE OF VERY DRY AIR ALONG WITH STRONG AND GUSTY
  WESTERLY WINDS WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS
  AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THIS DRY AND BREEZY WEATHER
  COUPLED WITH FUELS HAVING RETURNED TO VERY HIGH TO LOCALLY
  EXTREME CONDITIONS... NOT TO MENTION A FEW WILDFIRES ALREADY ON
  THE GROUND... A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED 15-20 MPH WITH GUSTS 20-30 MPH (LOCALLY
  HIGHER) FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 10-15% VALLEYS AND 12-18% RIDGES

* TIMING: 1500-2100

Firefighters responding to Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier Park

Glacier Park has a growing wildfire on the east side in the St. Mary Valley. Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed, the Rising Sun Motor Inn was evacuated, as was the Rising Sun Campground. Rangers are looking for folks who might still be in the backcountry.

Here’s the official press release . . .

Firefighters and fire-fighting resources are responding to the Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire on the east side of Glacier National Park. The fire is estimated to be approximately 800-1,000 acres.

The fire is moving quickly in heavy timber with extreme spread potential.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Avalanche on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

There is no access to any trails or backcountry areas from the Going-to-the-Sun Road at this time. Backcountry visitors are encouraged to contact the park’s backcountry office for more information.

The Rising Sun Motor Inn, operated by Glacier National Park Lodges, and the Rising Sun Campground were evacuated this evening. Park rangers and personnel are searching for backcountry hikers in the area to evacuate them and direct them to safety. The parking areas of the St. Mary Visitor Center and the Apgar Visitor Center have been established as gathering areas for park visitors that may have been separated from their group.

All interpretive programs in the St. Mary Valley are cancelled until further notice. There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area.

A Type II Interagency Incident Command Team has been ordered and should arrive on Wednesday. Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park.

A fire information phone line has been established at 406-732-7791.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors

‘Wildfire Information’ page updated

The “Wildfire Information” page has a couple of minor updates.

First off, the phone numbers for reporting wildfires are now prominently displayed.

Also, the description of the Kalispell Interagency Dispatch Center has been updated to include information on accessing the incident logs — very handy when you want to know why there are trucks and helicopters running around the neighborhood.

Firefighters chased down 22 small fires over weekend

Fire crews stayed busy chasing down several small fires over the past few days . . .

Thunderstorms and other sources of ignition over the weekend started a smattering of small fires across Northwest Montana with 22 wildfires reported, although only a few consumed more than a fraction of an acre.

Two fires started Friday in Glacier National Park.

Katie Liming, a park spokeswoman, said a fire at Doverspike Meadow up the North Fork was extinguished by four firefighters after torching about 1.25 acres.

On Monday, firefighters were still working on a 2.25-acre wildfire on Howe Ridge in an area burned by the Robert Fire in 2003.

Read more . . .

Crews hold line on Glacier Rim fire, increase containment

Fire crews appear to have a good handle on the Glacier Rim fire. Containment reached 70% yesterday and the recent rain helped a bit. Fire extent stayed at 100 acres. Here is the most recent report from the InciWeb site . . .

Yesterday, July 6, Fire crews maintained fire lines around the slop-over from July 4th. Firefighters are falling hazardous snags to remove fuel near the fire line. All three helicopters provided water and visual support for the fire. An additional water tender was ordered and assisted in cooling the south flank of the fire to enable crews to begin mop up process. The Flathead County structure protection team continued to contact residents and assess structures Spoon and Bailey Lake residential area.

Northern side of the Glacier Rim fire from helicopter
Northern side of the Glacier Rim fire from helicopter

Current Situation:

Rd 316, Canyon Creek Road, has been closed at the junction with the North Fork Road #486 and at the junction at Trumbull Creek Road #9848 to public access.

The fire received a small amount of rain overnight and more is expected through the morning. Crews laid hose around the fire and will be cooling down the perimeter and hot spots with support from the water tenders. Hazard snag removal will continue along the south flank of the fire. Firefighters continue to reinforce and hold already established containment lines around the perimeter of the fire.

FOR YOUR AND THE FIREFIGHTERS’ SAFETY, DO NOT STOP IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN THE FIRE AREA. Vehicles driving on the North Fork Road are asked to not stop in the fire area. River floaters on the river are asked to not stop in the fire area