Cooler, wetter weather keeps fires in check, but smoke abounds

Cooler weather has helped keep the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park in check. Friday saw high winds, but the fire did not cross the divide. A crew of firefighters now have a spike camp near the Upper Nyack cabin to protect that structure. Glacier saw about .06 inches of rain at West Glacier on Friday and about .19 inches at St. Mary. That’s not enough to put the fire out, but any moisture is welcome during this historically dry summer.

The fire is now listed at 13,680 acres, due to better mapping.

The Thompson Fire does not currently pose any threat to Park roads. The big problem in the Park over the few days has been smoke, which at times has plugged the lower valleys of the Park.

The northern half of Glacier has been relatively smoke free. Glacier Park officials note that most of the Park remains open.

In the far north of Glacier, a fire is burning near Goat Haunt Mountain and is about 25 acres in size. Parks Canada and Glacier firefighters are working jointly on the blaze.

South of the Park in the Spotted Bear area near the north end of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the focus is on the Bear Creek Fire. While the fire is only about 200 acres in size, prevailing winds could carry it into the Spotted Bear developed area. A series of retardant drops and water drops helped keep the fire in check on Thursday and cooler, wetter weather has helped as well.

The 2,500 acre Trail Creek Fire, which is north of the Spotted Bear River Road, is also cause for concern. The fire has forced the closure of the road. The fire does not threaten any structures. There are several other fires in the area, including the Flat Creek Fire at 40 acres. There were three new starts from Friday’s thunderstorms on the Spotted Bear District.