Firefighters work to protect Glacier National Park

WEST GLACIER, Mont. -- Firefighters battling a massive blaze in Glacier National Park set another fire Thursday as they worked to create a barrier to protect a historic lodge and houses near the western shore of Lake McDonald.

Crews hoped to complete the northern portion of the "burnout" Thursday, creating a barrier that will rob the 38,750-acre fire of fuel, said fire information officer Marybell Lansford. On Wednesday, they completed the southern section of the burnout.

Forecasters said a dry cold front would not hit the state until Friday or later, giving firefighters time to prepare for the expected strong, erratic winds.

"I said yesterday was a critical day, and we came out looking good," said incident commander Joe Ferguson. "Today is another critical day. We got good news on the weather coming through, but the bad news is that it's still hot and dry."

Evacuations

The fire forced the evacuation of the western part of Glacier for the second time in two weeks Sunday when it jumped a road that had been used as a barrier.

The park's popular Lake McDonald area, including Going-to-the-Sun Road from West Glacier to Logan Pass, remained closed to visitors.

It was one of several dozen fires -- the vast majority of which are believed to have been started by lightning -- that continue to burn in Montana, stretching firefighting crews thin.

At Yellowstone National Park, the east entrance reopened Wednesday after it was closed due to a 2,700-acre fire that crept within about 200 yards of the pavement. The entrance was first closed Tuesday evening, and park officials said it might be closed again if conditions become hazardous to drivers.

Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills, firefighters put out a hillside brush fire that had blown embers into a neighborhood and threatened about a dozen homes. The fire burned about 22 acres but caused no property damage.

In Wyoming, Sheridan County firefighters were working to protect 20 private cabins from a 1,050-acre wildfire by keeping the structures wet with water in case embers blew toward them.

Two tanker planes were establishing barriers of fire retardant while three helicopters were dropping water. There were 140 firefighters battling the fire on the ground.