Rain, snow bring welcome reprieve to fire managers

Fire officials managing two significant wildfires in Glacier National Park are eagerly anticipating the arrival of a cool and wet weather system Monday.

A winter weather advisory was issued Sunday for elevations above 6,000 feet in Glacier National Park. Snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches above 7,000 feet is possible, with lesser amounts closer to 6,000 feet, the National Weather Service in Missoula reported.

Widespread precipitation is expected in the valleys as well, with most locations in Western Montana likely seeing rain amounts of 0.30 inches to around half inch.

The break from hot and dry conditions will give firefighters in Glacier Park a chance to plan for future efforts, but the rain is not expected to extinguish the fires, officials said Sunday.

The Howe Ridge Fire continues to burn on the west side of Glacier National Park along Lake McDonald. It was estimated at 12,420 on Sunday afternoon with 10 percent containment.

The fire on the southern perimeter has been backing slowly toward the Inside North Fork Road, which is serving as a containment line. The fire is within 100 to 150 yards of the Inside North Fork Road in places. Work to reduce fuels along the road has successfully concluded.

On Saturday, helicopter water drops were used to slow fire movement to the south, and fire managers anticipate that the road will prevent the fire from spreading farther south.

On the north end of the fire, firefighters have reinforced existing trails with sprinklers to serve as fire lines, as the fire backs slowly down from the rocky slopes where it is currently burning. Natural features such as avalanche chutes and sparse fuels have somewhat limited fire growth. Firefighters continue to use hand and aerial ignition in order to establish a more secure fire line to hold fire away from Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Hoses and sprinklers are in place to protect the Trail of the Cedars and other facilities at the Avalanche Creek Campground in the event the fire reaches that area.

All backcountry areas and hiking trails in Waterton Lakes National Park remain closed due to the Boundary Fire that is burning in northeast Glacier National Park. The fire was estimated at 2,000 acres on Sunday.

The wildfire moved slightly to the north and east on Saturday night, reaching Boundary Creek. Except for a small spot fire, the wildfire remains on the south side of the creek.

A Parks Canada helicopter was bucketing water on this spot fire to hold it at Boundary Creek.

Other fires in the area showed slow growth. The Paola Ridge Fire near Essex was at 712 acres, while the Whale Butte Fire near Polebridge was at 489 acres.

On the Kootenai Forest, the Gold Hill Fire north of Libby was at 3,178 acres. It was 1 percent contained.