500 snags removed along Going-to-the-Sun Road

Firefighters have removed 500 dead trees, or snags, along Going-to-the-Sun Road in east Glacier National Park that were burned by the Reynolds Creek fire.

Most of the dead trees were 8- to 12-inches in diameter. Some had fallen on the road.

“It sounds like a lot of trees, but they had a lot of trees in there to start with,” said Mike Cole, a fire information officer.

National Park Service officials have been “meticulous” in examining trees along the popular road, which cuts through the heart of the park. The fire, which was sparked July 21, burned across or along an eight-mile section of the road on the park’s east side.

Pockets continue to burn along the road, Cole said.

“That’s still the main objective is to get that road open as soon as possible,” Cole said.

When the road will reopen still isn’t known, with its condition day-to-day, Cole said. The road is open on the west side of the park to Logan Pass.

Park Superintendent Jeff Mow visited with fire commanders Monday about the status of Going-to-the-Sun Road, Cole said.

As of Monday, the fire was 3,913 ares and 67 percent contained. It was not too active because an inversion hung over the St. Mary Valley, Cole said.

“It really doesn’t get up and run when you have an inversion over it,” Cole said.

The inversion also made it difficult for air resources to drop water on the fire while it was less active.

Some 70 miles of hose has been set up now along the fire line.

“We’re really going gang busters in mop up in certain parts of the fire,” Cole said.

At 10 p.m. Monday, type III incident commander Chris Young was scheduled to replace type I commander Greg Poncin.

“We’re not downsizing this camp yet,” Cole said. “We still have a large number of firefighters on this fire.”

There are 467 personnel assigned to the fire including eight hotshot crews. The cost of battling the blaze has reached $8.2 million.

Each day, less fuel remains within the fire perimeter as pockets of green trees that escaped the initial fire burn, Cole said. Areas along the northeast edge of the fire remain active, he said.

“We’re still tying together pieces of fire line on the northeast side of the fire,” Cole said.

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Karl Puckett at 406-791-1471. Twitter: @GFTrib_KPuckett.