FBI part of Red Eagle fire investigation

Investigators from the state, the Park Service and the FBI are expected to take a second look at the Red Eagle Fire this week.

The team looked at the fire once already and will take another look today or Friday, said Glacier Park spokeswoman Melissa Wilson.

The first investigation was Aug. 8.

The fire started near Red Eagle Lake on July 28.

Pushed by high winds and hot, dry weather, it ballooned to more than 20,000 acres in about 24 hours, racing out of the Park onto Blackfeet Indian Reservation lands.

But Park investigators are trying to determine the exact point of origin as well as the cause.

Initial reports said there wasn't any lightning prior to the fire, but Wilson said there had been witnesses reporting lightning on July 24, upon further investigation.

Investigators are trying to track down people that may have camped or hiked there. Anyone who did from July 24 to July 28, or took any pictures on July 28, are asked to contact Park Ranger Pat Navaille, who is part of the team. His number is (406) 732-7736.

Another Park Service special agent, Clyde Yee, is also expected to join the investigation team.

The FBI agent is a fire and explosives expert, Wilson said.

The investigation will also include interterviewing people who camped there as well. The backcountry campgrounds at Red Eagle Lake do not allow campfires.

The fire itself is currently mapped at 32,000 acres, of which about half is in Glacier Park. It continues to smolder and torch trees inside the Park in the upper regions of Red Eagle, Medicine Owl and Hudson Bay Creeks, putting up some impressive plumes of smoke in the afternoons on dry days.

The fire was expected to see some rain Wednesday night into Thursday, which should slow it even further. A crew was expected to go into the fire's flank along St. Mary Lake Tuesday and try to put out some smoldering spots, said Fire Information Officer Pat McKelvey.

Those spots are directly across the lake from the Rising Sun campground area.

The Park reminds folks that smoking and any sort of campfire is prohibited in the backcountry. All trailheads in Glacier have been posted with warnings.

The Red Eagle Fire, to date, has cost $6.42 million. About 411 firefighters are working on the fire.

All roads to St. Mary are open, though folks are asked not to stop in the fire zone along Highway 89, with the exception of graveled turnouts.

The fire is listed at 75 percent contained and is being managed by a Type II team led by Tom Heintz. Rain fell on the fire Wednesday.