Who started fire? Glacier Park wants to know
<p><strong>Smoke from</strong> the Reynolds Creek Fire boils above St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park on July 21. State Rep. Jenny Eck, who was hosting a delegation from Australia on a tour of the park, took this photo of the fast-moving wildfire. The flames torched a car and a historic cabin and forced visitors to abandon their vehicles on the park’s most popular roadway while officials evacuated hotels, campgrounds, homes and trails. (Jenny Eck via AP)</p>
The fire burning on the east side of Glacier National Park was likely started by people, according to park officials.
“Initial evidence suggests that the Reynolds Creek Fire was caused by human actions,” park spokeswoman Denise Germann said in a news release Wednesday morning.
Germann said the investigation is ongoing and wouldn’t comment on what evidence led to that determination.
The National Park Service is seeking information that may assist with the investigation of the fire that erupted in midafternoon July 21 and since has burned 3,170 acres.
Park visitors hiking in the area of Reynolds Creek on the Gunsight Pass Trail or who may have been staying in or hiking through the Reynolds Creek Backcountry Campground from July 14 to July 21 are encouraged to call 888-653-0009 or email nps_isb@nps.gov.
“Someone in that area might believe they don’t have anything to add, but we’d love to just talk to them to help fill in some information surrounding the investigation,” Germann said.
Permits are required for overnight camping at the Reynolds Creek Campground near the origin of the fire.
The fire was first reported at 3:45 p.m. on July 21 approximately six miles east of Logan Pass.
It spread quickly that afternoon and began a wind-driven march north of St. Mary Lake, leading to evacuations and the closure of Going-to-the-Sun Road on the east side of the park.
If found guilty, the person or people responsible for the fire could face criminal penalties as well as substantial fines and possibly restitution for the fire suppression costs.
As of Wednesday morning, the cost of fighting the Reynolds Creek Fire had grown to $5.1 million, an increase of nearly $1 million from the day before.