Firefighters and residents breathed a collective sigh of relief Sunday, as rain showers dampened wildfires burning in and around Glacier National Park, and park officials said they'll reopen Glacier's western gateway on Monday.
"Yesterday, temperatures were 13 degrees above normal; today, they're 13 degrees below normal," said fire information officer Andy Williams. "We were kicking the fire instead of the fire kicking us. There was a real sense that we were making progress."
Firefighters were so confident in the success of burnouts on the fire's southern and eastern flanks that Superintendent Mick Holm announced the gradual reopening of Glacier Park, beginning Monday.
For the first time since July 24, the park's west entrance will welcome visitors, albeit only to Apgar Village and only for the day. Because of the limitations, entrance to the west side will be free on Monday.
Apgar Village will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"We are moving as quickly and safely as possible to reopen the west side," Holm said. "However, safety for visitors as well as private landowners, concessionaires and park staff remains our primary concern."
On Tuesday, visitors will be able to travel as far as Avalanche Creek, and will be able to stay overnight at lodges and campgrounds in Apgar Village and at Lake McDonald. Tour services on Glacier Park Inc.'s historic red buses will also resume, as will horseback rides out of the Lake McDonald corral.
Boating will remain off-limits on Lake McDonald because firefighting aircraft continue to use the lake as a source of water. Three major wildfires are still burning within the park, with about 2,500 firefighters tackling them by land and air.
Sperry Chalet hopes to reopen to the public on Thursday afternoon, but Granite Park Chalet will not reopen because of continued activity on the Trapper Creek fire.
Holm said the full length of Going-to-the-Sun Road may reopen over Logan Pass later in the week. Conditions on the Trapper fire - which is burning between the Loop and Logan Pass - will dictate when and if traffic will resume on the west side.
Going-to-the-Sun Road remains open on the east side, from St. Mary to Logan Pass. All of the eastern side of the park is open to visitors, as are all lodges and campgrounds there.
While the fires don't pose an imminent threat to visitor safety, Holm said all those who venture into the park "need to be aware of the potential. All visitors should take the time to become aware of emergency procedures should they become necessary.
"Given the extremely dry conditions, everyone needs to be very careful."
Stage II fire restrictions remain in effect throughout the park, prohibiting campfires and restricting smoking and the use of chain saws.
"These fires in Glacier National Park will continue to impact the visitor experience for months to come," Holm said Sunday. "They will likely continue burning until a significant amount of moisture is received. Realistically, these fires are not expected to be fully extinguished until after we receive snowfall."
Still, all three fire camps reported good progress, high spirits and rain on Sunday.
At the Robert fire, Williams said firefighters worked up and down ridges and across drainages, trying to tie the fire into the area burned black two summers ago by the Moose fire.
"That worked well today," he said. "We need another day just like it tomorrow. It's still an iffy proposition, because if the weather does warm up again, it'll be very hard to keep the fire within the area where we are working it. We need a lot of help from the weather."
The Robert fire remains home to 994 firefighters and support staff, and has now burned 24,400 acres north and west of the West Glacier/Apgar area. Residents of those areas were able to return home Sunday, and businesses outside the park reopened.
Twenty-six engines assigned to patrol those communities when the Robert fire made its run into Glacier were released from duty Sunday, although 68 engines remain on the fire in other capacities.
"Everything turned around in one day," Williams said. "The difference is pretty amazing."
So, too, did the weather help 1,200 firefighters assigned to the Wedge Canyon fire. While that blaze jumped across Trail Creek Road during the heat of the day on Saturday, it stayed put Sunday.
Firefighters used the break in the weather to reinforce fuel breaks they hope will hold the fire when the weather eventually warms, said information officer Judy Chetwin. At least 0.1 inch of rain fell on the Wedge Canyon fire Sunday, with more possible in coming days.
That fire has burned more than 25,000 acres in the remote northwest corner of Glacier Park and in the adjoining Flathead National Forest. It has moved to within five miles of Canada, where firefighters have cleared a wide swath of forest hoping to block its advance to the north.
Inside the park, the Trapper Creek complex of fires also reported "greatly reduced" fire behavior and light rain, Chetwin said. Both the Trapper Creek and Wolf Gun fires are burning through old burns on either side of Going-to-the-Sun Road from the Loop to Logan Pass.
"Rain's been the real story of the day," Chetwin said. "In fact, it rained so much on the Ross Creek fire, they had to keep the firefighters in camp as a safety precaution."
The Ross Creek fire, which burned 195 acres on the Kootenai National Forest near the Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area, is now 100 percent contained.
Reporter Sherry Devlin can be reached at 523-5268 or at sdevlin@missoulian.com
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)