Rain stymies wildfires, but hot, dry, days ahead
Looking at the Weasel Fire from the Whitefish Range.
Hungry Horse News
Not out of the woods yet, but area wildfires are looking better than they were a week ago.
The Quartz Fire in Glacier National Park is now about 1,700 acres along the south shore of Quartz Lake.
It hasn’t grown since it received about three-quarters of an inch of rain in the past three days.
Heavy rain fell on parts of Glacier over the weekend, particularly along the divide.
The Quartz Fire is about 2 miles west of the Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin.
Diane Sine, public information officer for the fire, said the park also saw plenty of lightning and strikes can often smolder for weeks. As such, the park will be keeping an eye out for any new starts, as this week is expected to be hot and dry, with temperatures in the 90s.
While the mountains got rain, the valley itself is still very dry. The Glacier Park International Airport recorded less than a tenth of an inch over the weekend.
In the Bob Marshall Wilderness, two fires, the Dean Creek Fire and the Cannon Fire both received rain, all told, an estimated three-tenths of an inch.
All three fires have area closures around them, with trails closed near the fire.
The Quartz Lake loop trail and Quartz Creek trail in Glacier are all closed as are the backcountry campgrounds at Quartz Lake and Lower Quartz Lake.
Trails near the Dean Creek Fire are closed, but Trail 83, the Spotted Bear River Trail, remains open.
The Cannon Fire has closed the trail to Sunburst Lake and trails on Sarah Peak. To check all the closures, visit inciweb,.org and click on the respective fire.