Woof! The Thompson Fire is now estimated at 11,400 acres, almost 18 square miles. A type II team has been called in.
The Missoulian has a good write-up. Also check out the map below to see the area covered by the blaze . . .
The Thompson fire in southeastern Glacier National Park exploded from 1,900 acres to about 11,400 acres between Monday and Tuesday afternoons, as western Montana recovered from a line of thunderstorms Monday night.
“The lack of moisture, high temperatures, low humidity and dry vegetation have resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth,” Glacier spokeswoman Katelyn Liming said in an email Tuesday. “The smoke plume is visible from areas on both the west and east sides of the Continental Divide.”
Given the fire’s remote location, the National Park Service is using a “contain and confine” strategy to manage it, Liming said. Helicopters are using bucket drops to cool its hot spots, while natural rock outcrops are blocking some of the spread.
