U.S. 2, Essex area reopen

Traffic resumed Monday morning on U.S. 2 south of Glacier National Park and an evacuation order was lifted for the Essex area.

Residents of the Essex area can return home after being evacuated since Thursday due to the Sheep Fire.

People are advised although they should be prepared to evacuate again if fire conditions change.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry lifted the mandatory evacuation order for Essex at 6 a.m. Monday.

U.S. 2 reopened at 6 a.m. with pilot cars escorting traffic between milepost 176.5 (the Schellinger gravel pit) and milepost 185 at Bear Creek. Escorted vehicles are not allowed to stop in this area.

BNSF freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains are running intermittently through the Middle Fork corridor. Call 511 or visit http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/alerts.shtml for current road status.

For more information on Amtrak call (800) 872-7245.

The Sheep Fire has covered 2,102 acres.

The fire was a mile south of Essex and one-eighth of a mile from the train tracks between Tank and McDonald creeks, according to a news release from the Thompson-Divide Complex firefighting team.