You are here

Wildfires Close U.S. 2 South Of Glacier National Park, Force Evacuation

Share
Sheep Fire, Flathead National Forest/inciweb

The Sheep Fire's proximity to Essex forced evacuation of the town and also closed a stretch of U.S. 2 that runs along the southern border of Glacier National Park/Steve Houser

Wildfires have tormented those in Glacier National Park this summer, and ongoing fires in and around the park have kept firefighters busy and led to the closure of U.S. Highway 2 that runs along the park's southern border, and forced the evacuation of Essex, Montana.

While the Reynolds Creek Fire continues to smolder just east of the Continental Divide inside the park, it is not threatening the Going-to-the-Sun Road at this time. The Thompson Fire to the south of the Going-to-the-Sun Road has slowly increased in size to cover more than 17,000 acres, but is not impacting visitation to the park.

The greatest threat seems tied to the Sheep Fire burning south of the park and U.S. 2 in the Flathead National Forest. Burning in steep terrain about 2 miles south of Essex, the fire led officials on Thursday to order an evacuation of the community and to close U.S. 2 between mileposts 176.8 and 185. BNSF Railway and Amtrak trains were running intermittenly on the tracks that parallel the highway.

With the forecast calling for gusty winds and low humidity Friday afternoon, fire bosses were expecting "active fire behavior, including short crown runs and short range spotting" on the fires.

"Weather conditions will be changing going into the weekend. A cold front is approaching on Sunday with maximum temperatures expected to drop 10-15 degrees," the fire report read. "In advance of this front, winds are expected to increase Friday and Saturday. Humidity will increase with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with this advancing front. Winds will be from the southwest increasing to 15-20 mph with gusts of 25-35 on the ridges possible on Saturday.

Comments

Glacier National Park 100% open. Going to the Sun Road is 100% open for appropriate sized vehicles for travel in both directions. West Glacier Elementary school has Red Cross assistance so stop in and register to help or receive assistance. Locals donating places for people to stay if needed. Local businesses lending helping hands. Community rallying to support our Essex neighbors and visitors! Stay safe friends!


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.