On today's morning newscast: the National Weather Service has issued a red flag fire warning for the east side of Glacier National Park today from noon to 9 p.m., meaning high winds and low humidity, with temperatures in the 70s. Yesterday the fire there grew from 2,000 to an estimated 4,000 acres, and the number of evacuations both inside and outside the park grew, according to the Park’s recorded fire information line.
The Cabin Gulch Fire east of Townsend is now estimated at 2,500 acres. Fire officials said they made good progress on the fire yesterday, extending fireline to around 15 to 20 percent of the area, but offered no predictions on when the Cabin Gulch fire will be fully contained.
A judge is deciding whether to stay a case for Missoula to purchase its public drinking water system. The Missoulian newspaper reports the city rejected a valuation offer from Mountain Water Company in a legal battle that has racked up more than $3.4 million in costs for Missoula.