The folks in the Spotted Bear District have their hands full this fire season . . .
The Spotted Bear Ranger District remains the hot spot for fires on the Flathead National Forest, with eight new fires started by Friday’s lightning storms.
Spotted Bear has 19 fires while the rest of Flathead National Forest has four…
The largest fire is the Trail Creek Fire. By Saturday, it had burned 2,500 acres north of the Spotted Bear River…
Here are the highlights of this morning’s update on Glacier Park’s Thompson Fire. Short version: The fire is a little bigger (13,680 acres) and there are now people on the ground in the backcountry . . .
Approximate Size: 13,680 acres
Containment: 0% Latitude 48.551, Longitude -113.613
Resources – Total Personnel: 111 Injuries: None
Hand Crews: 1 Wildland Fire Management Module Air Support: Helicopters (1 Type-1 & 1 Type-3) 1 Helitack Crew
Fire Update: The Thompson Fire was reported at approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9. It is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance and 12 miles southwest of the Saint Mary entrance. The fire is burning in the Thompson Creek and Nyack Creek drainages west of Medicine Grizzly Peak where the Flathead and Glacier Counties border follows the Continental Divide. No structures have been lost or damaged to date and no injuries have been reported.
A crew was flown into the Nyack drainage area Saturday evening and established a spike camp to operate from. They will provide additional structure protection measures for the Upper Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabin, including helicopter water drops if needed. They are constructing a wet line along avalanche chutes to contain fire from further spread. This includes the use of helicopter water drops and pumps and hose lays on the ground. A helitack crew is positioned at the helibase along US Highway 2 to provide support to Glacier NP fire managers in the event of any new fire starts. Fire personnel in the Two Medicine and Cut Bank drainages are assessing structures for possible protection if the fire crosses the Continental Divide. They are also monitoring for any fire slopover across the Divide.
Although buffeted by winds on Friday, the fire remains west of the Divide and has not made any advance to the east. Without spread east of the Divide, the fire poses no threat to communities around East Glacier and St. Mary. Limited growth of the fire was seen on the west side in Nyack Creek.
Sunday’s weather will remain cool with temperatures on the fire in the lower to mid-50s. Humidity will remain higher around 50%. Wind will be lighter at 12-16 mph from the southwest on ridges. Decreasing winds are predicted for the area by morning with a slight chance for showers. Temperatures will slowly increase and humidity decrease over the next several days, with a return to seasonal conditions. There is a slight chance for isolated thunderstorms and rain later in the day on Sunday.
Here are the essentials from this morning’s Thompson Fire update from the InciWeb site.
Short version: Cooler weather and last night’s rain should cause the fire to lay down a bit. They still intend to fly in a couple of ground crews . . .
If weather and smoke conditions permit today, two crews will fly into the backcountry area near the fire to work on control measures. One crew will land near Cutbank Pass to suppress hot spots along the fire’s edge and direct helicopter water drops. The other crew will work in the Nyack Drainage area to provide additional structure protection measures for the Upper Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabin; cool down hot spots along the fire perimeter; direct helicopter water drops; and use pumps and hoses on any hot spots along the perimeter.
Gusty winds are predicted for the area through the morning with a chance for showers. Cooler weather and higher humidity are expected today, with a return to seasonal conditions Sunday. With cooler weather and recent rains, the fire is expected to smolder within its perimeter today. West Glacier received about 0.06 inches of rain in the past 24 hours: St. Mary received 0.19 inches…
From this evening’s incident update on the Thompson Fire we learn that the fire’s size estimate has been trimmed slightly to 13,202 acres and that they hope to start flying fire crews into the backcountry to fight the blaze on the ground . . .
A small fire was detected today on the west side of Waterton Lake on the U.S. side in Glacier National Park. Fire personnel are responding.
The Thompson Fire was reported at approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9. It is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance and 12 miles southwest of the Saint Mary entrance. The fire is burning in the Thompson Creek and Nyack Creek drainages west of Medicine Grizzly Peak where the Flathead and Glacier Counties border follows the Continental Divide.
If weather and smoke conditions permit, two crews will fly into the backcountry area near the fire to work on control measures. One crew will land near Cutbank Pass to suppress hot spots along the fire’s edge and direct helicopter water drops. The other crew will work in the Nyack Drainage area to provide additional structure protection measures for the Upper Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabin; cool down hot spots along the fire perimeter; direct helicopter water drops; and use pumps and hoses on any hot spots along the perimeter.
No structures have been lost or damaged…
This morning’s press release on the Thompson Fire . . .
Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team
Irv Leach Incident Commander
Daily Fact Sheet Aug. 14, 8:00 a.m.
Link to http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4468/ Fire Information: (406) 314-1669 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Approximate Size: 14,900 acres
Containment: 0%
Latitude 48.551, Longitude -113.613
Resources – Total Personnel: 83 Injuries: None
Hand Crews: 1 Wildland Fire Management Module
Air Support: Helicopters (1 Type-1 & 1 Type-3) 1 Helitack Crew
Fire Update: The Thompson Fire was reported at approximately 1:30pm on Sunday, August 9. It is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance and 12 miles southwest of the Saint Mary entrance. The fire is burning in the Thompson Creek and Nyack Creek drainages west of Medicine Grizzly Peak where the Flathead and Glacier Counties border follows the Continental Divide.
The safety of public and incident personnel is the highest priority on all incidents. Aerial resources are being used on the Thompson Fire to control fire spread. Helicopters dropped water on hot spots in the Nyack Creek drainage.
No structures have been lost or damaged. Structure protection is in place at the Lower Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabin. The threat to the Upper Nyack Cabin was reduced when the fire burned around it.
The majority of Glacier National Park is unaffected by this wildfire and is available for recreational use. For more specific visitor information, please see official websites http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm, https://twitter.com/glaciernps, and https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps/. Additionally you can view park webcams at http://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.
A cold front is expected this afternoon with increasing winds and possible strong thunderstorms. A Red Flag Warning for fire behavior is in effect from noon to midnight. Strong winds will first come from a southerly direction,
turning westerly behind the front. Strong thunderstorms capable of gusty winds and hail are also expected. Cooler weather and higher humidity are expected Saturday, with a return to seasonal conditions Sunday.
Some of the smoke to the east is from the Thompson Fire. However, much of the smoke in the region is from fires west of Glacier in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. There are 188 fires burning nationally, including 66 in the Northern Rockies.
Call (406) 314-1669 for updated fire information.
Glacier National Park is under Stage I Fire Restrictions. Campfires are not allowed in the backcountry of Glacier National Park. Campfires are still allowed in developed campgrounds that have park-provided concrete or metal fire rings.
Closures: The Thompson Fire has prompted closure of the Nyack and Coal Creek areas, including trails and backcountry campsites. There may be additional trail closures in the area due to increased fire activity. For updated information on trail status, visit http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/infobull/closures.cfm.
Trail Closures:
Siyeh Pass Trail, from Siyeh Pass to Sun Rift Gorge
Sunrift Gorge, Saint Mary Falls, and Virginia Falls
Red Eagle Trail, towards Saint Mary Falls
Otokomi Trail
Coal Creek Trail
Nyack Creek Trail
Cutbank Pass Trail, in the Nyack drainage
Park Creek to Coal Creek cutoff trail
Dry Fork Trail, from Pitamakan Pass to Two Medicine Campground trailhead and Two Medicine Entrance
Morning Star Trail, from Cutbank Auto Campground to Pitamakan Pass
Atlantic Creek Trail, from Cutbank Auto Campground to Triple Divide Pass
Medicine Grizzly Lake Trail
Dawson Pass Trail / North Shore of Two Medicine Lake
North Shore Two Medicine Junction to Dawson / Pitamakan
Upper Two Medicine Lake Trail
Campground Closures:
Cutbank Frontcountry Campground
Rising Sun Frontcountry Campground
Otokomi Backcountry Campground
Reynolds Backcountry Campground
Lower Nyack Backcountry Campground
Upper Nyack Backcountry Campground
Beaver Woman Lake Backcountry Campground
Nyack/Coal Creek Camping Zone
Coal Creek Backcountry Campground
Atlantic Creek Backcountry Campground
Morning Star Backcountry Campground
Oldman Lake Backcountry Campground
No Name Backcountry Campground
Upper Two Medicine Lake Backcountry Campground
More Information: Visit Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4468/.
The Reynolds Creek Fire continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For information on fires within Glacier National Park, please visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/27/.
The Thompson Fire has not impacted any park roads. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is open.
The Thompson Fire grew to 14,900 acres (over 23 square miles) today and a Type II management team takes over tomorrow. Here’s the official news release . . .
The Thompson Fire expanded east yesterday and today into the higher elevations of the upper Nyack Creek area, located in the south-central region of Glacier National Park. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Thompson Fire is now estimated to be 14,900 acres. Dry vegetation coupled with high temperatures and low humidity resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth yesterday and today. The smoke plume has been visible from many locations on both sides of the Continental Divide.
A Type III Interagency Incident Command Team has been working with Glacier National Park to manage the fire using a contain and confine strategy. A Type II Incident Management Team has been ordered and will assume command of the fire tomorrow morning.
The safety of public and incident personnel is the highest priority on all incidents. At this time, ground resources cannot be safely used due to the remote, rugged terrain and the lack of safety zones in the area. The National Park Service’s Upper and Lower Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabins remain threatened by the fire.
Yesterday’s fire activity has prompted expansion of the trail and campground closure order. For the most up-to-date information on the expanded trail and area closure statuses, visit http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/infobull/closures.cfm.
As of Wednesday, August 12, campfires will not be allowed in the backcountry of Glacier National Park. Campfires will continue to be allowed only in designated sites in frontcountry campgrounds. Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect for Northwest Montana. For further information visit: http://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/fire-restrictions-for-back-country-of-park.htm.
The Reynolds Creek Fire continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For information on fires within Glacier National Park, please visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/27/.
Woof! The Thompson Fire is now estimated at 11,400 acres, almost 18 square miles. A type II team has been called in.
The Missoulian has a good write-up. Also check out the map below to see the area covered by the blaze . . .
The Thompson fire in southeastern Glacier National Park exploded from 1,900 acres to about 11,400 acres between Monday and Tuesday afternoons, as western Montana recovered from a line of thunderstorms Monday night.
“The lack of moisture, high temperatures, low humidity and dry vegetation have resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth,” Glacier spokeswoman Katelyn Liming said in an email Tuesday. “The smoke plume is visible from areas on both the west and east sides of the Continental Divide.”
Given the fire’s remote location, the National Park Service is using a “contain and confine” strategy to manage it, Liming said. Helicopters are using bucket drops to cool its hot spots, while natural rock outcrops are blocking some of the spread.
The Thompson Fire is now five times as big as it was at the end of the day yesterday. Here is this afternoon’s official press release . . .
The Thompson Fire started on August 9th and continues burning in the remote Nyack area, located in the south-central region of the Glacier National Park. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The lack of moisture, high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation have resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth. The Thompson Fire is now estimated to be 5,500 acres this afternoon. The smoke plume is visible from areas on both the west and east sides of the Continental Divide.
A Type III Interagency Incident Command Team is working with Glacier National Park to respond to the fire. There are currently 35 fire personnel and two helicopters assigned, with additional air resources available. A Type II Incident Management Team has been ordered. The Team is using contain and confine strategy to manage the fire. This is being accomplished by using aerial resources with water bucket drops to cool hotspots. Fire managers are using natural (rocky) barriers to confine the fire. The National Park Service Upper and Lower Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabins remain threatened by the fire. Containment actions are being taken to protect the lower cabin. These actions include fuel mitigation actions around the site and structure wrap of the cabin.
The safety of public and incident personnel is the highest priority on all incidents. At this time, ground resources cannot be safely used due to the remote, rugged terrain and the lack of safety zones in the area.
The Thompson Fire has prompted closure of the Nyack and Coal Creek areas, including trails and backcountry campsites. There will be additional trail closures in the area due to increased fire activity. For updated information on trail status, visit http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm.
The Reynolds Creek Fire continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For information on fires within Glacier National Park, please visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/27/.
After a quiet morning, the Thompson Fire blew up spectacularly this afternoon, starting at about 1:00 pm. Bill Fordyce took the following photo sequence from the Scalplock Mountain Lookout that illustrates just how quickly the blaze increased in strength. Check the times in the photo captions. The whole sequence takes only about an hour.
The Thompson Fire blew pretty impressively this afternoon . . .
The Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park blew up Tuesday afternoon, sending up a massive smoke cloud that was visible from the Flathead Valley as well as East Glacier, St. Mary and Many Glacier.
“It looks like a giant cauliflower stalk in the sky,” said John Antonucci, the chef at Stanton Creek Lodge on U.S. 2. “This thing is directly in front of my front door, square in front of my front door.”
A caller to the Inter Lake likened the boiling smoke to a volcano.