Here’s the official word on the Reynolds Creek Fire as of about 7:30 am . . .
Facts at a Glance
Size: 3,342 acres Date Started: 07/21/2015 Percent Containment: 63%
Personnel Assigned: 520, including eight Interagency Hotshot crews, five 20-person hand crews, and other various personnel
Location: Approximately six miles east of Logan Pass, four miles west of St. Mary Visitor Center
Equipment Assigned: 12 engines, seven helicopters and multiple shared resources
Cooperating Agencies: Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St. Mary, Cutbank, Evergreen, and West Valley Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Flathead County, as well as Glacier County and Montana Disaster & Emergency Services are assisting Glacier National Park.
Cause: Under investigation Structures Lost: 2 Cost: $7.25 Million
·A community meeting will be held at the St. Mary Lodge tonight, Saturday, August 1, 6-7 p.m.·
Today’s actions: A red flag warning continues for today’s high winds and low humidity. Fire activity has the potential to increase today due to these conditions. Fire should continue to burn actively into the rocks in Rose Creek and Two Dog drainages, located north of the fire’s northern perimeter. Crews are allowing these drainages to burn in order to reduce the amount of fuel in this region. Firefighters will monitor and suppress any spot fires outside fire containment lines.
Closures: The Rising Sun Motor Inn and the Rising Sun Campground remain closed. The Going-to-the-Sun Road remains closed from the St. Mary Campground to Logan Pass on the east side of the park. The road corridor continues to be a hazardous area: trees and rolling debris continued to stop firefighters from freely moving from one location to another; the fire burned actively adjacent to the road, burning through the previously unburned fuel; and smoke was dense throughout the stretch of road within the fire perimeter.
Openings: Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to Logan Pass from the west side of the park. Visitors should continue to expect delays and congestion along the road. The Red Eagle drainage is open for hiking access to Red Eagle Lake, Triple Divide, and the beaver ponds. The Sperry Trail is open from Lake McDonald Lodge to Gunsight Pass. Any travel beyond Gunsight Pass is closed due to fire activity. The Lake Ellen Wilson backcountry site is open.
Glacier National Park remains open, and excellent recreation opportunities abound. Information on current park activities can be found at: www.nps.gov/glac, Facebook.com/GlacierNPS, twitter.com/glaciernps, or flickr.com/photos/glaciernps. Additionally, current conditions can be viewed on park webcams at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.