Waterton evacuation order lifted

Cooler weather and rain helping to slow fire

An evacuation order for the Waterton Lakes National Park townsite was lifted Saturday morning by Parks Canada. The order was instituted Friday night by Parks Canada due to a fire that started earlier in the day near Goat Haunt Montana in Glacier National Park.

The fire is on the slopes of Campbell Mountain on the west side of Upper Waterton Lake, says Parks Canada.

That agency is working with the U.S. National Park Service to contain the blaze which was still 10 hectares in size Saturday evening.

Parks Canada says two crews and two helicopters were fighting the blaze, a job which could be helped by precipitation and cooler weather. Because of 3.8 millimetres of rain which fell in the area Friday night and the lower temperatures Saturday, Parks Canada doesn’t expect the fire to spread.

On Friday after the fire was reported, a helicopter began dropping water on it. The blaze spread south and is about 100 metres wide.

While the evacuation order is no longer in effect, areas affected by the fire remain closed. Those areas include:

• Lakeshore trail from the townsite to Boundary Bay.

• Bertha Lake trail.

• Alderson Lake trail from the townsite trailhead.

• Carthew-Alderson trail from Summit Lake via Carthew Lakes to Alderson Lake.

• Boundary Creek trail.

• Summit Lake trail.

Herald photo by Ian Martens A helicopter takes off behind a sign listing the extreme fire hazard before heading back along Upper Waterton Lake Saturday as crews continued to work to control the wildfire that started Friday afternoon.