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St. Mary in Glacier National Park is under a mandatory evacuation order because of a growing wildfire that is approaching the community, according to the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office. “St. Mary has been emptying out,” said Dave Dahlan, with public affairs for Glacier National Park. He added that the fire had jumped Highway 89 at Divide Mountain.

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Come Monday, anglers will be waking up earlier to fish on some waters in Montana. High water temperatures prompted Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials to close fishing from noon to midnight on eight main-stem rivers beginning Monday, July 31 until Sept. 15 or when conditions improve significantly.

FWP is also asking anglers across the state to voluntarily restrict fishing to the cooler morning hours on all other low-elevation waters, and to look to the state’s lakes, reservoirs and high-altitude streams for fishing opportunities.

“The warm water temperatures across the state are putting some of our cold water, wild trout populations at risk,” said Chris Hunter, FWP fisheries division administrator. “The eight main-stem rivers where angling will be restricted to the cool morning hours meet FWP’s fishing closure policy that seeks to protect wild trout fisheries when water temperatures exceed 73 degrees for three consecutive days.”

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KALISPELL – Heft a fair-sized stick out in Jack Kirkendall’s neck of the woods – a log that’s, say, four inches around – and you can bet it won’t be heavy with water.

In fact, the dry crackle of summer has sucked the moisture right out of Kirkendall’s forest, leaving logs with a water content of just 12 percent or so.

A kiln-dried piece of lumber compares at about 8 percent.

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A 50-acre forest fire prompted closure of the Red Eagle Lake trail in Glacier National Park near St. Mary Friday.

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Lessening heat and calmer winds helped firefighters on the six-day-old Horse Fire in the Cleveland National Forest about 50 miles east of San Diego. The 16,455-acre fire was 25 percent contained.

“It’s creeping and smoldering, It’s not spreading actively at all right now,” said Roxanne Provaznik of the California Department of Forestry.