Wind Advisory Issued for Glacier Park as Howe Ridge Fire Continues to Smolder

The Latest

—Rain does little to halt Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier Park

—New fire near Flattop Mountain contained Monday afternoon 

—Wind advisory issued for Glacier Park

Updated: Aug. 20, 3:30 p.m.

While rain showers were a welcome sight Monday after a weekend of cough-inducing smoke, they will do little to improve air quality or stop the massive wildfire that has been smoldering on the west side of Glacier National Park.

“It’s nothing to write home about,” said Fire Information Officer Chris Wyatt of the rain showers that fell on the 7,835-acre Howe Ridge Fire Monday morning.

While rising humidity could hamper fire growth today, erratic winds could continue to push the fire toward the south end of Lake McDonald. The National Weather Service in Missoula issued a wind advisory for Glacier National Park and the area around Flathead Lake until 9 p.m. tonight. Wind gusts of up to 34 miles per hour are expected to impact the fire area.

Traditionally, fires in Glacier Park move east but this week’s wind is coming from the northeast, increasing the chance that the fire will run toward Apgar Village. The nearby Fish Creek Campground was evacuated on Sunday and an evacuation warning was issued for Apgar Village.

On Sunday evening, Apgar Village was nearly empty, save for a few hotel and shop employees who stayed behind. Smoke from the fire blanketed much of the area and ash occasionally fell from the sky.

The smoke prevented officials from being able to get a plane over the fire last night to get a more accurate picture of its size.

Today, firefighters are using heavy equipment to secure the southwest flank of the fire along the edge of the Inside North Fork Road. They are also using sprinkler systems to protect buildings at the Fish Creek Campground.

A new lightning-caused fire was discovered near Flattop Mountain on Monday morning, about 4.5 miles northwest of the Loop on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Glacier National Park spokesperson Lauren Alley said firefighters responded to the fire and had it contained at less than an acre by 2 p.m.

Smoke is still filling much of the air in western Montana. On Monday morning, air quality was listed as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Smoke will likely continue to clog the air for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Today’s wind is also likely to increase activity on a number of other fires burning in the area. The Paola Ridge Fire had burned 364 acres near Essex as of Monday morning. Last week, a pre-evacuation warning was issued for a number of homes west of Essex along U.S. Highway 2. The Coal Ridge Fire west of Polebridge had burned 280 acres and was 2 percent contained. The Whale Butte Fire just north of the Polebridge area has burned 251 acres. Last week, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office issued the evacuation warning for the area between Moose Creek Road and Whale Creek Road.

The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team 2 is managing firefighting efforts for all four major fires in Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest.

A number of large fires are also still burning on the Kootenai National Forest in Lincoln County. The Sterling Complex Fire had burned 1,216 acres east of Lake Koocanusa as of Monday morning. The Ten Mile Fire, also east of Lake Koocanusa, had burned 681 acres as of Monday and was 91 percent contained. North of Yaak, the Davis Fire has burned 6,032 acres in the United States and Canada.