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Firefighters Wrangle Foy’s Lake Fire; McGregor Lake Fire Doubles in Size

Herron Park trails remain closed until Saturday morning

By Justin Franz
Trail closures at Herron Park in Kalispell on Oct. 19, 2017. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

A fire near Kalispell’s Herron Park is now 75 percent contained while another blaze that started earlier this week near McGregor Lake has doubled in size, according to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The Deer Run Fire near Foy’s Lake started during Tuesday’s windstorm and has burned 38.8 acres. Firefighters have dug fire line around three-quarters of the fire. DNRC is asking the public to stay away from the area to minimize traffic. The nearby Herron Park trails will remain closed until at least Saturday morning.

Near McGregor Lake, the Lower Twin Fire has scorched 675 acres and was 25 percent contained as of Thursday.

A Type 3 incident management team has been overseeing the two large fires along with two smaller ones this week. That team is expected to handoff management to local DNRC firefighters over the weekend. A cold front is expected to bring widespread precipitation to both fires over the weekend.

Although open burning season goes until Nov. 30, the Flathead Office of Emergency Services is “encouraging” the public to refrain from doing any burning until more rain comes.