From a note posted by Glacier Park . . .
Good news! U.S. Highway 2 reopened at 6 a.m. today, with pilot cars escorting traffic between mileposts 176.5 at Schellinger and 185 at Bear Creek. Escorted vehicles are not allowed to stop in this area. Call 1-800-226-7623 or 511 or visit http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/alerts.shtml for current road status.
BNSF trains and Amtrak are running intermittently. For more information on Amtrak call (800) 872-7245.
The Essex evacuation order was lifted this morning and U.S. Route 2 was reopened. In general, cooler, wetter weather has helped firefighters throughout the region . . .
The residents of Essex can go home again, if they’re ready to.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry announced Sunday night that the mandatory evacuation order for the town will be lifted at 6 a.m. Monday morning, and the community will be back to the “set” stage of the “Ready, Set, Go” evacuation model.
Essex had been under a mandatory evacuation order since Thursday, as the Sheep fire closed in. Also, U.S. Highway 2 will reopen at the same time, with pilot cars escorting traffic through the fire zone.
Here’s a quick afternoon summary of the wildfire situation in this end of Montana . . .
Another warm, windy day challenged crews battling numerous wildfires in western Montana and brought more evacuations Saturday.
About 20 residences in rural areas south of Libby were told to evacuate Saturday morning because of one of several fires burning in the Kootenai National Forest, fire spokeswoman Jennifer McCully said.
Fire managers were asking for more firefighters, but prospects for help were uncertain Saturday afternoon, McCully said.
The Sheep Fire edged a bit closer to Essex . . .
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry ordered a mandatory, but precautionary, evacuation for Essex today at 2:40 p.m. The Sheep Fire is still on the ridge above the mountain town east of Columbia Falls. The fire is growing due to winds and temperatures in the 80s today, public information officer Sonja Hartman said.
They want to get people out of the town so firefighters can be stationed in the town, Hartman said. They decided it would be easiest to get people out earlier rather than later.
She said they are being “extremely cautious.”
Here’s a good summary of the wildfire situation throughout this corner of Montana . . .
Authorities closed a section of U.S. Highway 2 near Essex on Thursday to provide safe access for firefighters battling the Sheep Fire, a 232-acre blaze that has grown to within 1 mile of the highway and river corridor near the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.
There are no evacuation orders, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry and his deputies notified 106 residents in and around Essex that they must prepare to leave and recommended they begin loading their cars immediately, Flathead County emergency information officer Jennifer Rankosky told the Associated Press. Forty-two people were home and notices were left at the rest of the homes.
Over 200 structures in the area are at risk, including homes, according to fire managers.
Fire and county officials were assessing how to best protect structures in the community. Red Cross officials were preparing a shelter in West Glacier 30 miles north on U.S. Highway 2, Rankosky said.
U.S. Highway 2 is going to be closed while crews deal with the approaching Sheep Fire . . .
Authorities closed a section of U.S. Highway 2 near Essex on Thursday to provide safe access for firefighters battling the Sheep Fire, a 232-acre blaze that has grown to within 1 mile of the highway and river corridor near the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.
There are no evacuation orders, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry and his deputies notified 106 residents in and around Essex that they must prepare to leave and recommended they begin loading their cars immediately, Flathead County emergency information officer Jennifer Rankosky told the Associated Press. Forty-two people were home and notices were left at the rest of the homes…
The highway closure was announced Thursday afternoon for the seven-mile section of highway from milepost 178 to 185, from the Halfway Motel near Pinnacle on the west side to Bear Creek on the east side. A section of railway is also being closed. The highway and railway will reopen once conditions are safe, authorities say.
Also read: Thompson-Divide Complex InciWeb page