Wildfire Still Burning in Montana's Glacier Park
Apgar Village, at the southern end of Lake McDonald about two miles north of West Glacier, was evacuated Monday, a week after it reopened.
``We're trying to remind everybody that we're taking this a day at a time,'' park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt said Monday.
The evacuation area is about 10 miles north of West Glacier, the park's gateway town that had been threatened by the fire for more than a week in late July and early August.
High winds and hot temperatures have given added life to the wildfire, now estimated at more than 36,600 acres. Some campgrounds, a lodge and private houses were evacuated late Sunday as winds kicked the fire up again.
Elsewhere in Montana, a wildfire that began with a lightning strike Friday near Big Timber, about 70 miles west of Billings, had tripled in size to about 34,000 acres and forced the evacuation of some 50 homes.
The blaze was threatening another 70 homes, after burning six outbuildings. More evacuations were in progress Monday night, said fire information officer Pat McKelvey.
He said the fire crews faced extreme fire behavior Monday and were dealing with a forest as dry as it's ever been. The fire has ``extreme growth potential,'' McKelvey said.
Another fire about 20 miles east of Eureka was estimated at 27,525 acres Monday. And a new wildfire in the Swan Valley grew to 4,000 acres by late Monday, forcing residents in 17 area homes to be ready to evacuate.
After burning for 45 days, fire bosses expressed optimism that Washington state's largest wildfire could be fully contained by late Tuesday.
The blaze has charred more than 81,000 acres, mostly in north-central Washington's Pasayten Wilderness. It was started by lightning June 29.