High winds threaten 'extreme fire behavior' today
<p><strong>This photo was</strong> taken by Nicholas Bradford on Thursday night, July 23, from the St. Mary area of the Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park. Bradford was one of many locals and tourists who were getting a first-hand look at the fire.</p>
As of 9 a.m. today, the Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park had not been contained in any direction, but was reported burning over approximately 4,000 acres, same as on Thursday.
A Type I Incident Management Team took over operations at the fire at 10 p.m. Thursday night, and is continuing to build fire lines in the Two Dog Flats area, while crews on the heel of the fire continue dropping snags, clearing debris and removing fuels near Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Gusty, westward winds and low humidity are forecast through the day.
“Those weather conditions could potentially produce extreme fire behavior, including spot fires and fast-moving crown fire,” the fire command said in a press release. The winds could push the fire to the north and east.
On Thursday, an inversion over the fire kept it relatively calm in the morning, while westerly winds created short crown fires and a small spot fire south of St. Mary River, near the southwest end of St. Mary Lake and west around the heel of the fire toward the surrounding mountain peaks.
Structure assessments in front of the fire, near Lower St. Mary, continued through Thursday and Friday. The historic Baring Creek Patrol Cabin has already been confirmed as destroyed.
Going-to-the-Sun Road between St. Mary and Big Bend remains closed, but the park continues to run shuttle service between Apgar and the Loop.
A fire information meeting is planned for 6 p.m. today at the Great Bear Conference Room in the St. Mary Lodge.
Evacuations are still in place around the St. Mary Visitor Center including the St. Mary Campground, the Rising Sun Motor Inn, the Rising Sun Campground and the west side of Lower St. Mary Lake. The National Park Service employee housing and administrative areas for non-essential personnel have also been evacuated.
A Red Cross Shelter for evacuees is on stand-by at the Browning Middle School. For information regarding the shelter, call the Red Cross 24-hour hotline 1-800-272-6668.