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Moderate Activity on Glacier Park Fire

Paola Ridge Fire near Essex grows to 566 acres

By Tristan Scott
Smoke from the Howe Ridge Fire blankets Apgar Village in Glacier National Park on Aug. 19, 2018. Justin Franz | Flathead Beacon

—Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier National Park assessed at 9,672 acres

—Paola Ridge Fire grows slightly

—Fire activity expected to pick up with higher temperatures

Fire behavior was moderate on the Howe Ridge Fire burning in Glacier National Park on Tuesday, as fuels dried out after Monday’s cool temperatures and rain.

Fuels will continue to dry out in Wednesday’s higher temperatures and fire behavior will likely increase this afternoon, according to officials.

The largest fire burning in Northwest Montana, the non-contained Howe Ridge Fire has cast a smoky pall over Lake McDonald as it burns north of Lake McDonald Lodge, forcing evacuations and closures, including the Going-to-the-Sun Road from near Apgar Village to Logan Pass.

Officials reduced the fire’s reported acreage on Wednesday due to more accurate mapping, scaling it back from more than 11,000 acres on Tuesday to 9,672 acres Wednesday morning.

The fire has been creeping toward the Fish Creek Campground, which was evacuated Sunday, and Apgar Village, which has been placed on evacuation warning. Approximately 218 firefighters are assigned to the blaze.

Aircraft hit the fire with water drops on Tuesday, with helicopters and fixed-wing CL-215s dropping water to cool areas and slow fire growth in specific spots. On the north end of the fire, aerial ignitions were successfully used to straighten the fire edge, allowing it to slowly back off the lower slopes of Mount Stanton toward containment lines.

Wetland in the Camas Creek drainage has slowed the fire’s progress to the west, while it continues to approach the Inside North Fork Road on the fire’s southwest edge. Equipment continued to be used to reduce fuel along the Inside North Fork Road in order to use that road as a containment line. Structure protection crews continue to work around Fish Creek and North McDonald Road. Additional structure protection crews have arrived to assess and develop plans for structure protection in other areas.

The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team that last week took control of the Howe Ridge Fire is also keeping a close eye on two other fires near Polebridge and a third near Essex.

The Paola Ridge Fire near Essex has burned 566 acres and continues to creep toward the BNSF Railway tracks. On Tuesday, the fire continued to profess down the mountain’s face toward previously constructed fire lines. The fire moved over the ridge into the Paola Creek drainage, but a type 1 helicopter dropped water on the area to keep it in check.

The railroad has brought in a special firefighting train to protect its right-of-way should the fire get any closer. Last week, a pre-evacuation warning was issued for a number of homes west of Essex along U.S. Highway 2.

The Whale Butte Fire just north of the Polebridge area was estimated at 311 acres on Wednesday. Last week, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for the area between Moose Creek Road and Whale Creek Road.

The National Park Service has issued an evacuation warning for landowners and visitors for all park areas north of the junction of Bowman Lake Road and the Inside North Fork Road.

The Coal Ridge Fire west of Polebridge did not grow in the last few days and so far is burning at 280 acres.

About 13 miles north of Libby, the Gold Hill Fire has prompted a pre-evacuation warning along Pipe Creek Road, between mile markers 11 and 13. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was 1,398 acres. The fire has made its way into Noisy Creek on the south and east sides of the fire perimeter. A Type 3 incident management team will be taking command of firefighting efforts tomorrow. More than 60 firefighters are currently battling the blaze, which has forced numerous closures on the Kootenai National Forest, including the Big Creek Baldy Lookout.