Kenow Fire burned about 30 percent of Waterton Lakes Park

Over the past week the Kenow Fire in Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada burned roughly one-third of the land mass in the Park and about 70 percent of its forested area, Glacier Park Superintendent Jeff Mow said last week.

Having spoken to his neighbors to the north, he said the fire had burned about 50,000 acres in Waterton.

The firestorm jumped over Akamina Pass and down the Akamina Valley in two hours.

The Waterton townsite and the Prince of Wales Hotel were saved, but the park lost its visitor center at the entrance and its horse stables.

About 50 to 100 residents live in the townsite itself, which was evacuated before the fire arrived.

No one was injured in the blaze. Waterton Park remained closed as of presstime. There was no date for reopening it.

The Park was having a “phased” re-entry for residents of Waterton townsite starting Tuesday.

Outside the Park, the fire destroyed the historic Rocking Heart Ranch as residents had to flee with virtually no warning.

Other structures outside Waterton were also lost in the blaze.

Light rain last week helped quell the blaze, but there was still some activity. Park officials say it will take awhile to access all the damage to Park resources and facilities.

The fire started in British Columbia in the Flathead drainage and roared over mountain passes. Its total acreage is about 94,000 acres.