Evacuation warning issued for part of North Fork

An evacuation warning was issued this afternoon for a small number of residences in the North Fork due to the Whale Buttes Fire.

The warning runs from the Moose Creek Road to the Whale Creek Road north of Polebridge.

Flathead County Sheriff’s Deputies were going door-to-door. The North Fork Road remains open, though people are asked to avoid the area.

Glacier Park has also issued an evacuation warning for all areas north of the Bowman Lake Road junction north to Kintla Lake. Because of fire activity, there is a chance of an evacuation in the next 72 hours.

The Whale Buttes fire is now listed at 100 acres, a significant increase since it was first discovered Aug. 11.

The Coal Ridge Fire, which is south of Whale Buttes in the North Fork is still listed at 266 acres.

Area fires continue to remain active. There is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, but almost no chance of wetting rain — just 10 percent.

The Paola Ridge Fire up the Middle Fork was active last night as was Howe Ridge fire in Glacier as the wind came up. Paola Ridge also has a small evacuation notice for residences near the fire.

Paola Ridge is still listed at 400 acres. It’s burning to the west of Essex near U.S. Highway 2. The road remains open and Essex is not under an evacuation notice at this time.

The Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier is still listed at 3,500 acres. It has forced the closure of the Going-to-the-Sun Road from Apgar to Logan Pass. The entire area, including Lake McDonald Lodge, continues to be evacuated. Howe Ridge has burned the south face of Mount Stanton and spilled over the ridge near Rogers Lake. Rogers Lake is backcountry — there are no structures there.

Most of Glacier remains open.

In the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Brownstone Fire east of Big Prairie is listed at about 1,900 acres.

All of the fires were caused by lightning.

The weekend should be partly cloudy and cooler, with a slight chance — 20 to 30 percent — of rain in Glacier and the mountains. Though it could also get breezy, as a system moves south from Canada, kicking up an easterly wind.

All four of the fires, save for the wilderness fire, is being managed by a Type I team. They’ve set up a camp at the KOA in West Glacier. A community meeting on all the fires is 6 p.m. Saturday at the Little Theater in the Columbia Falls High School. Folks interested in the fires are encouraged to attend.