Howe Ridge fire blasts up Mount Vaught in Glacier Park

Stoked by high winds, the Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier National Park was very active Friday afternoon, burning up Mount Vaught in the Park. Flame lengths were 300 feet or more as it torched both live and dead trees in a bowl between Vaught and Mount Stanton.

The winds Friday made the fire the most visible, and active, since it started on Aug. 11.

The fire didn’t appear to be in the McDonald Creek Valley, however, where it could threaten the Park’s old-growth cedar forests. A sprinkler system has been set up to try to hold the fire at McDonald Creek.

A Chinook helicopter was also dropping water on hot spots in the lower slopes of Vaught.

The wind was blowing from the southwest, which was blowing the smoke plume back up and over Mount Vaught. Two super scooper airplanes were dropping water on and near the east side of the fire.

Fire managers have previously warned that it could spot over the peak, where it could burn further north and east into the Camas drainage.

The fire on the west end has already burned close to the Inside North Fork Road, where firefighters have cut a line.

A new fire near Canada has forced the closure of Waterton Lakes National Park.

The Boundary Fire, was reported 1 mile west of Waterton Lake in Glacier National Park at approximately 6:15 p.m. Thursday, prompting the closure of Waterton Lakes National Park Friday morning. Trails near the fire and Goat Haunt have been evacuated.

The fire was also reported to be fast-growing, with flames up to 100 feet high Thursday night, according to a Glacier Park press release.

A Waterton Lakes National Park release described the fire’s status as “out of control.”

The town of Waterton has remained open, as well as Highway 5/6, including the entrance road to the town and Chief Mountain Highway.

With several other fires burning in western Montana, the valley had filled with smoke by 5 p.m.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road remains closed from Apgar to Logan Pass. It is open from St. Mary to Logan Pass on the east side, though smoke from the fires has limited visibility in the park.

Tomorrow is expected to be seasonable and dry, though the weather should take a turn Sunday into Monday, with a chance of rain, much cooler temperatures and even a chance of snow at higher elevations.