Glacier Park's Thompson Fire balloons to more than 11,000 acres; puts up huge plume of smoke

The Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park has grown significantly in the past day and is now 11,400 acres at last estimate, according to Glacier National Park spokeswoman Denise Germann.

The fire continues to cook in heavy timber in the Nyack drainage of the Park and does not threaten any roads, but does have the potential to threaten the Cut Bank and Two Medicine regions of the Park , but will have to carry up and over the mountains to do it.

With high temperatures and low humidity, the fire took off on Tuesday afternoon. It’s roughly 15 to 16 miles north of U.S. Highway 2 from the Middle Fork of the Flathead.

Several backcountry campsites are closed due to the fire, including Morningstar, Atlantic, Oldman Lake, upper and lower Nyack, Coal Creek and Beaver Woman Lake.

The fire could see more growth tomorrow as temperatures should once again be in the 90s with the potential for high winds. The next cool down is expected Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with a 40 percent chance of rain.