Red Eagle Fire

Red Eagle Fire Crews Reach 65 Percent Containment, More Hot and Dry Weather Expected

By Matthew Frank, 8-07-06

	Flames run along St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park. Photo courtesy of the Stanich Type I incident management team.

The Red Eagle fire burning up Blackfeet Tribal and park lands on the east side of Glacier National Park grew a little Monday in higher temperatures to 27,500 acres -- up about 500 acres from Sunday's mapping. Crews have made “excellent progress” toward their containment objectives, according to the Monday morning report from the fire team, and had line around 65 percent of the fire's perimeter.

The fire is mostly creeping and torching a few individual trees, but fire officials did report some short runs on the southern side of the fire on park lands.

But, as earlier reports have show, that southern area is where fire bosses have expected the fire to act up.

Temperatures this week are forecasted to be above normal. Extreme fire behavior can be expected, according to the fire team, when temperatures exceed 70 degrees, humidity is below 30 percent, and wind speed is in excess of 6 mph.

A total of 622 personnel have been assigned to the fire. The difficulty of the terrain is high with access to portions of the fire limited due to rough terrain. Suppression efforts have cost $3.3 million so far.

As of last week, evacuations at St. Mary village were lifted and all of the Going to the Sun Road was reopened. By Friday afternoon, all of Highway 89 was reopened with reduced speed limits and one-lane due to construction and rehab work there. Sunday’s flare-up along 89 worsened the congestion.

Cut Bank Creek Campground on the south side of the fire and the surrounding trails and the backcountry campground near there are still closed. Park Superintendent Mick Holm Wednesday ordered new restrictions on campfires in the park, prohibiting all campfires and smoking in the backcountry as well as the frontcountry campgrounds at Quartz Creek and Cut Bank Creek if it reopens.

The fire has burned one unoccupied trailer and two empty cabins on the eastern side.

About 55 percent, (15,000 acres)of the fire is on Blackfeet Tribal Trust Lands, 45 percent (12,455 acres) is within Glacier National Park and less than 1 percent is on private land held within the Blackfeet Nation. The estimated fire perimeter is over 56 miles.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.