Park closes Sun Road on West side; evacuates campgrounds near Lake McDonald

At 10 a.m. Sunday, Glacier National Park closed the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the south end of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass and ordered an evacuation of residences and buildings and campgrounds around the lake due to the Sprague Fire. Everyone must leave the area by 6 tonight.

“The fire is now very close to the Mt. Brown Lookout, which is a priority value at risk and is wrapped with protective material,” park officials said in a press release.

A helicopter worked on Saturday to cool the area surrounding the lookout. Other threatened values include backcountry cabins and campgrounds, structures in the Lake McDonald area, and trail infrastructure such as footbridges.

The closure includes the Lake McDonald Lodge, Kelly Camp, concessions housing and the Avalanche and Sprague Creek campgrounds. The closure is due to fire traffic in the area and was recommended by the overhead management team fighting the blaze.

The American Red Cross is offering shelter for those impacted by the evacuation at the Canyon Elementary School, 200 North Street, in Hungry Horse. The shelter will open at 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 1-800-272-6668 for information about shelter services.

Structure protection work is continuing in the Lake McDonald Lodge area. The Fort Apache Hotshots are working to install hose lays, sprinklers, and pumps as contingency measures given the predicted east winds. Historic artifacts are being removed from the Lake McDonald Lodge today.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning effective through 9 p.m. Monday. According to the press release issued by the park, “The approaching cold front is a marker of extreme fire behavior. The predicted high winds from the east this evening could increase activity on the west side of the Sprague Fire. Continued low humidity and warm temperatures are also expected. Based on fire activity and behavior last night across the region, it is in everyone’s best interest to evacuate the area so firefighters can most effectively and efficiently fight the fire.”

Logan Pass is open from the east side of the Divide.

The Sprague Fire is burning above Crystal Ford on the Gunsight Pass Trail and has grown to more than 5,100 acres and is burning the mountains and woods just above Lake McDonald Lodge. The fire on Thursday burned down the Sperry Chalet. Warm and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread into the Lincoln Creek drainage Saturday night. The fuels in the fire area are extremely dry and receptive to fire.

Most of Glacier remains open, including Apgar Village, though the Park was swamped Sunday with smoke from fires not just in Glacier, but from across Montana and the western U.S.

The Park couldn’t say when the Sun Road from the west side would reopen.

Firefighters put down hose lays at Lake McDonald Lodge yesterday and structure protection fire engines were also put in place.