HELENA, Mont. (AP) – A wildfire driven by gusting winds swept down Glacier National Park’s most popular roadway toward a small community at the park’s eastern entrance, sending visitors packing and residents scrambling to protect their homes and businesses.
Officials evacuated the small community of St. Mary and homes along nearby St. Mary Lake on Wednesday afternoon as a precaution against the approaching fire.
“We’re kind of in the direct line right now,” said Susan Brooke, who owns the St. Mary Glacier Park KOA. “It’s raging down the ridge toward St. Mary.”
Brooke said 688 people were in the campground when the fire ignited Tuesday afternoon about 6 miles east of Logan Pass. Word of the fire began to circulate as people returned from the pass and others checked the Internet, and soon the plume of smoke could be seen in the distance.
“People started to panic and started leaving immediately,” she said.