Half of Montana Forest Fire Contained
Posted on: Wednesday, 6 August 2003, 06:00 CDT
The forest fire that closed much of Glacier National Park was 50 percent contained Wednesday as crews kept up their counterattacks on the blaze.
Visitors were allowed to drive across the park Tuesday for the first time in more than a week.
As conditions permit over the next few days, officials plan more "burnouts" or backfires on the western side of the 24,000-acre wildfire. However, none will be as dramatic as the 2,000-acre backfire credited with turning the fire away from West Glacier, which was evacuated last week when flames threatened a major escape route.
Still, "people will be seeing smoke on the western side," Bill Beebe, fire information officer, said Wednesday.
Crews also continued work to steer the fire away from critical habitat for grizzly bears.
The fire is one of three major blazes in and around the national park that had blackened about 70,000 acres by Wednesday.
Elsewhere, lightning storms started more than 40 wildfires early Wednesday in the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests of northern Washington. The largest had spread across 300 acres of grass by midmorning, said Forest Service spokeswoman Robin DeMario.
Washington's largest fire, about four miles from the Canadian border, had charred 77,000 acres since starting June 29 and was 60 percent contained, officials said.
Also, a man was arrested in connection with a fire that burned five homes last month in Okanogan in northern Washington. Michael D. Dick, 34, of Okanogan and Seattle, was being held Wednesday for investigation of first-degree arson, with bail set at $100,000.
Sheriff Frank Rogers said the 350-acre fire caused $2.5 million in damage to homes and orchards and was started with a can of lighter fluid near Dick's home. If charged and convicted, Dick could be held liable for the damage.
Large fires also were active Wednesday in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming, the National Interagency Fire Center said. So far this year, wildfires have blackened nearly 1.9 million acres, compared to 4.6 million at this same time last year, the center reported.
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On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov
Glacier fire information: http://www.nps.gov/glac/resources/fires.htm
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