The Daily Inter Lake posted an excellent report on the progress being made by the Type I crew now in place to fight the Reynolds Creek Fire.

Highlights: There are 454 people and a lot of equipment, including some very big helicopters, involved in the effort. The fire is 10% contained, with the emphasis on safety, structure protection and keeping the fire from spotting beyond its current perimeter. The area of the active fire has been reduced to a little more than 3,000 acres . . .

The Reynolds Creek Fire at Glacier National Park is far from under control, but a reduction in total fire size, containment of 10 percent of its perimeter and an expected change in weather are providing a glimmer of hope to fire management officials.

It’s the only wildfire in the country currently being fought by an elite Type I Incident Management Team. Incident commander Greg Poncin, of Kalispell, said Friday that firefighters had brought the fire’s total area to slightly more than 3,000 acres, although the total burned acreage is significantly larger.

He said the primary challenges for his team are the rugged terrain and long-burning, heavy fuels, although the near-continuous daytime winds also haven’t made his job any easier.

Read more . . .

The Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park is now up to 5,000 acres (maybe — there’s some debate), a Type I team is now in-place to fight the blaze and Sunday may provide some helpful weather . . .

The Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park grew another 1,000 acres on Thursday, but there may be favorable weather on the horizon this weekend.

The fire is burning from Reynolds Creek east to Two Dog Flats, about 3 miles from the Park’s eastern boundary.

The National Weather Service is predicting a widespread rain event Sunday evening with snow levels dropping to 8,000 feet over the Park and a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Read more . . .

See also . . .

Elite firefighting team takes charge at Glacier Park wildfire (Missoulian)

Wind is enemy as firefighters await chance to prevail (Daily Inter Lake — paywall)

Posted to the Reynolds Creek Fire InciWeb site . . .

Public Meeting: Friday, July 24, 2015, at the St. Mary Lodge in the Great Bear Conference Room
A Public Meeting will be held in St. Mary in the Great Bear Conference Room at the St. Mary Lodge. The meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fire managers will provide an update on current status of the fire and be available to answer questions.

While we wait for the latest reports on the state of the Reynolds Creek Fire, here’s a good summary of the situation so far . . .

Fueled by high winds and dry conditions, a wildfire is chewing through heavy timber on the east side of Glacier National Park as firefighters and helicopters scramble to contain the blaze that is moving northeast along St. Mary Lake and near Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Roughly 200 personnel and six helicopters are battling the Reynolds Creek Fire, which is burning in a dense, rugged section of forest plagued by beetle kill and a region afflicted with drought conditions. The fire is not contained and remains at 4,000 acres, according to the last estimates from Thursday morning.

A red flag warning was issued Thursday for potentially dangerous weather conditions and extreme fire behavior. Forecasters predicted 20-30 mph wind gusts and low humidity that could cause the wildfire to quickly spread. Relief could arrive this weekend as cool, wet weather sweeps across Northwest Montana, including the high country in Glacier Park.

Read More . . .

See also: Reynolds Creek Fire doubles in size, frying Rose Creek (Hungry Horse News)

The Reynolds Creek Fire is up to 4,000 acres now. Here is the official press release . . .

Extreme fire behavior continues on the Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire on the east side of Glacier National Park. Additional resources are arriving, including fire crews, helicopters, engines and an interagency incident command team. Due to windy conditions and extreme fire behavior, today’s suppression actions were limited to aerial water drops and some on-the-ground crew work.

The fire is moving northeast and is currently estimated to be 4,000 acres. It is located approximately 10 miles from the St. Mary Visitor Center along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Scattered light rain fell throughout the area, but strong winds and warm temperatures fueled additional acreage. The fire is moving quickly in dry, heavy timber with extreme spread potential. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning in effect through 9 p.m. tonight for the area. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions exist.

The fire management priorities are safety of public and fire-fighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

Several evacuations in and around the St. Mary Visitor Center have been implemented as precautionary measures. Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and Blackfeet Law Enforcement have evacuated the west side of Lower St. Mary Lake and may continue with evacuations on the East shore of Lower St. Mary Lake. The townsite of St. Mary is being evaluated for possible evacuation. The National Park Service evacuated the employee housing area and administrative area early this evening.

Within the park, the St. Mary Campground was evacuated this morning, and the Rising Sun Motor Inn, operated by Glacier National Park Lodges, and the Rising Sun Campground were evacuated Tuesday evening. The St. Mary Visitor Center closed to the public at 12 p.m. today and will be used as a fire staging area. The duration of the closure is unknown at this time.

Several backpackers in the vicinity of the fire were located and found to be safe. Additional backpackers were located and will be escorted safely from the area. Park rangers and personnel will continue to search for backcountry hikers in the area to evacuate them and direct them to safety. 

Today several visitors were able to retrieve their vehicles that were left along the Going-to-the-Sun Road yesterday due to fire activity in the area. One vehicle was consumed by the fire.  

The historic Baring Creek Cabin, a National Park Service backcountry cabin, was lost due to the fire. No other structures have been burned, and no injuries have been reported.

All interpretive programs in the St. Mary Valley are cancelled until further notice. There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area.

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, and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park. Glacier County and State of Montana Disaster Emergency Services are also assisting. 

Fire information phone lines have been established at 406-732-7791 and 406-732-7790. An email account has also been established for fire-related inquiries at reynoldscreekfire@gmail.com. The Inciweb website, http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/, is another source of fire information for the Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors.

Glacier National Park representatives announced this evening that the historic Baring Creek Cabin, a National Park Service backcountry cabin, was lost due to the Reynolds Creek Fire. No other structures have been burned and no injuries have been reported.

The fire is now estimated to cover 4,000 acres, more than six square miles.

Here is the latest press release from Glacier National Park on the Reynolds Creek Fire. Note the expanded evacuation orders . . .

Officials at Glacier National Park report that fire conditions and forecasted winds have prompted additional precautionary evacuations of the St. Mary area within Glacier National Park. These evacuations include the St. Mary Visitor Center and National Park Service administrative area. The St. Mary Campground, Rising Sun Campground, and the Rising Sun Motor Inn were previously evacuated.

Evacuations for areas adjacent to the park boundary were ordered by the Glacier County Sherriff and Blackfeet Emergency Services.

The wind-driven fire is moving quickly in dry, heavy timber and extreme fire behavior is reported. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today for Glacier National Park. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions are anticipated, including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures, factors contributing to the rapid fire growth.

At last report, the fire was estimated to be 2,000 acres. The fire management priorities are safety of public and fire-fighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire. A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park.

Fire information phone lines have been established at (406)732-7791 and (406) 732-7790.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors.

Here’s another press release from Glacier Park about the Reynolds Creek Fire. Evacuations continue for campgrounds, lodgings and in the backcountry in affected areas of the park, as well as just-in-case planning for evacuations in the St. Mary area. The fire is up to 2,000 acres, probably more by now.

Firefighters and fire-fighting resources continue to respond to the Reynolds Creek Wildland Fire on the east side of Glacier National Park. At this time, the fire is estimated to be approximately 2,000 acres.  The fire management priorities are safety of public and fire-fighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown.

The St. Mary Campground is being evacuated. The campground has approximately 148 sites.  The Rising Sun Motor Inn, operated by Glacier National Park Lodges, and the Rising Sun Campground were evacuated Tuesday evening.

The St. Mary Visitor Center will close to the public at 12 p.m. today, Wednesday, July 22. It will be used as a fire staging area. The duration of the closure is unknown at this time.

Park rangers and personnel are searching for backcountry hikers in the area to evacuate them and direct them to safety.  The parking areas of the St. Mary Visitor Center and the Apgar Visitor Center have been established as gathering areas for park visitors that may have been separated from their group.

The park is assisting visitors retrieve their vehicles that were left along the Going-to-the-Sun Road yesterday due to fire activity in the area. One vehicle was consumed by the fire.

The fire is moving quickly in heavy timber with extreme spread potential. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning in effect from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today for Glacier National Park. This warning means that critical fire weather conditions are anticipated, including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures. These conditions may create explosive fire growth potential.

Preplanning is being conducted for possible evacuation in the St. Mary area.  National Park Service personnel are working in cooperation with Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and Blackfeet Emergency Management.

All interpretive programs in the St. Mary Valley are cancelled until further notice. There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area.

An interagency incident command team has been ordered and will arrive this afternoon. Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park.

A fire information phone line has been established at 406-732-7791.

The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors.