Reynolds Creek Fire update Friday, Aug. 7, 2015
by National Park Service Glacier National Park
August 7, 2015
August 7, 2015 8:00 a.m.
***This will be the last update for the Reynolds Creek Fire unless significant activity occurs. ***
Facts at a Glance:
Size: 4,311 acres
Date Started: 07/21/2015
Percent Containment: 67%
Personnel Assigned: 299, including three Interagency Hotshot crews, seven 20-person initial attack crews, and other various personnel
Location: Approximately six miles east of Logan Pass, four miles west of St. Mary Visitor Center
Equipment Assigned: seven engines, four helicopters and multiple shared resources
Cooperating Agencies: Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St. Mary, Cutbank, Evergreen, and West Valley Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Flathead County, as well as Glacier County and Montana Disaster & Emergency Services are assisting Glacier National Park.
Cause: Under investigation
Structures Lost: 2
Cost: $10.1 Million
A warming and drying trend is moving into the area bringing higher temperatures and lower humidity. Winds will be fairly light out of the west, southwest. A slow burn of ground fuels will continue in the Rose Creek drainage area as fuels dry out. Pockets of unburned fuel will continue to burn out as fuels continue to dry out and become receptive to heat. Crews continue securing control lines and mopping up along the fires perimeter. This entails extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines and felling snags. Excess equipment and hose is also being removed.
The Reynolds Creek Fire in Glacier National Park burned thousands of trees along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The roots of many of these trees were severely burned, making the trees likely to fall on the road with the next stiff breeze. Trees adjacent to the road were sized up by resource advisors, who carefully selected which trees needed to be felled to create safe travel for park visitors. The downed trees were cut into short lengths, loaded into dump trucks and taken to a site on Blackfeet tribal lands near St. Mary, Montana. As cooperators, Park officials and Blackfeet representatives mutually agreed that the best use of the wood would be to make it available for the Blackfeet Nation Senior Firewood Program.
The Rising Sun Motor Inn, Rising Sun Campground, and the Rising Sun Boat Dock remain closed. The Going-to-the-Sun Road remains closed from the St. Mary Campground to Logan Pass on the east side of the park.
Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to Logan Pass from the west side of the park. Visitors should expect delays and congestion along the road. The Red Eagle drainage is open for hiking access to Red Eagle Lake, Triple Divide, and the beaver ponds. The Sperry Trail is open from Lake McDonald Lodge to Gunsight Pass. Any travel beyond Gunsight Pass is closed due to fire activity. The Lake Ellen Wilson backcountry site is open.
Glacier National Park remains open, and excellent recreation opportunities abound. Information on current park activities can be found at: www.nps.gov/glac, Facebook.com/GlacierNPS, twitter.com/glaciernps, or flickr.com/photos/glaciernps. Additionally, current conditions can be viewed on park webcams at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.
Information line: (406) 888-7800
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