Blaze cuts off route to chalet at Glacier National Park

HELENA, Mont. — A wildfire has cut off the return route for dozens of people staying in a Glacier National Park backcountry chalet, leaving them the choice of remaining until rangers tell them it’s safe or hiking out along a longer and more difficult trail, park officials said Friday.

Park rangers also planned to lead out 39 other hikers who were staying in backcountry campsites near fires that broke out after a passing lightning storm Thursday,

Glacier spokeswoman Lauren

Alley said.

It’s peak tourist season at the Montana park, and the stone chalet is a top attraction in one of the busiest parts of Glacier.

Thirty-nine of the 42 guests staying at the Sperry Chalet decided to hike out, and three stayed behind, said Suzie Menke, the office manager of Benton Chalets Inc., which runs the chalet.

They must take a rugged trail more than 13 miles long that crosses two mountain passes and can take eight to 10 hours to walk.

For those who stay, the chalet has running water, a full-service kitchen and 17 private rooms, but it lacks electricity and has only spotty cellphone coverage.

Park officials confirmed that three small fires started after Thursday’s lightning storm. The one affecting Sperry Chalet is the largest at about 10 acres.

Despite thefires, most areas of the park are still open to the record number of tourists flocking to Glacier this year.

Dozens of fires are burning across the West, and fire managers planned to raise the National Fire Preparedness Level to its highest point on Friday.

In Oregon, a fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation destroyed two houses and threatened dozens of others. The fire had burned more than 30 square miles by late Thursday.