The blaze busted out on the southwest side of the lake Monday afternoon, burning steadily in steep terrain covered with thick timber, said Cindy Super, public information officer for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
An air tanker and two helicopters kept the fire from running Monday, and on Tuesday a hand crew from Ronan was hard at work early in the morning, and others were on their way, Super said.
“We haven’t got information if it got into the (Mission) wilderness last night or if it’s just outside the wilderness,” Super said.
No homes or structures are threatened, but the fire has prompted some closures in the area.
The Lindbergh Lake campground on the north side of the lake is closed to public and will be used as a staging area for fire crews, Super said. The trailhead at Crystal Lake is also closed.
Trailheads to Glacier and Turquoise lakes remain open.
How the fire started remains a mystery, and a fire inspector will be probing into its point of origin, Super said.
“It’s a suspicious start, and we don’t know the specifics if it was an arson or campfire,” Super said.
“There was no reports of lightning so we are pretty sure it’s human-caused, we’re just not sure what kind or who.”
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