The Reynolds Creek Fire, burning on the northeast side of Glacier National Park is still not contained but has not grown significantly today.
The sky over St. Mary Lake is gray with smoke and the air hums with helicopters. At last estimate the Reynolds Creek fire six miles east of Logan Pass is burning 4,000 acres.
Command of the fire will make the full switch to a Type 1 incident management tonight at 10:00 p.m. Type 1 is the highest level of emergency response.
The current incident commander, Andy Hutsberger says the fire’s growth is limited to the north because of rocky terrain. But to the west and east, the fire has room to expand.
"And the east is probably our area of greatest concern because predominate winds blow from the west to the east here. And there is a band of vegetation that is continuous from where the fire is currently at, all the way to St. Mary and beyond," says Hutsberger.
The fire is being worked by 200 people, 25 engines and six aircraft.