Park Service evacuating additional areas around Howe Ridge Fire

The National Park Service has issued additional evacuation warnings around the Howe Ridge Fire this morning after the fire nearly doubled in size overnight.

All campers and NPS employees are being evacuated from the Fish Creek Campground and the Fish Creek Campground Road has been closed from the Camas Road junction, while an evacuation warning has been issued for aread north of the Quarter Circle Bridge Road, including Apgar, the Grist Road and all areas accessed from Quarter Circle Bridge Road. Trails off the Camas Road are now closed as well.

While people must leave Fish Creek immediately, People in Apgar and areas accessed from the Quarter Circle Bridge need to be ready to leave, but are not yet being told to do so.

Down-valley winds drove the fire into the area of the 2003 Roberts Fire overnight, an area of heavy, dead fuels. The fire has increased in size to 7,835 acres. It was 4,100 acres Saturday.

The Park Service asks that those in the Apgar area be ready to evacuate quickly if such action is necessary.

“While we don’t like to think about evacuation warning coming our way, we have to be mindful of them and be prepared for them when they do,” Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow told the crowd at a fire information meeting at Columbia Falls High School Saturday.

A weather system moving into the area today and overnight is expected to bring slightly cooler temperatures, but also strong shifting winds, which could significantly affect the southern and western flanks of the fire. Crews continue working to protect structures in the Fish Creek Campground and along the Inside North Fork Road, reducing fuels and setting up sprinkler systems.

The fire was caused by lightning Aug. 11 and is currently zero percent contained. Smoke once again kept planes from being able to drop water on the fire Saturday.

In all, four significant fires are buring in and around the park. In addition to the Howe Ridge Fire, the Whale Butte and Coal Ridge fires are burning in the North Fork near Polebridge while the Paola Ridge fire continues to burn just west of Essex near Highway 2. According to Mow, the fires are not expected to be put out any time soon.

“Our opportunities to put out a fire once it has started here at this time of the season is rare. These are fires that we are going to sit with until the snow flies. That’s what we have learned over time,” Mow said. “Our ability to address that is dependant on resource availability and, as you know, resources are scarce right now.”

The Going to the Sun Road continues to be closed from Apgar to Logan Pass and the Inside North Fork Road and Fish Creek Road are now closed as well.

For more information on closures, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/glac.