Fire update: Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier is closing for the season due to smoke

[Ptah]

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK — The Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park will close Wednesday for the rest of the season because of concerns about air quality, Xanterra Parks and Resorts announced Tuesday night.

Although it's burning about 2 miles from the lodge area, "the Sprague fire is not currently and has not been a threat to the Lake McDonald developed area," Xanterra's announcement said. "However, heavy smoke from the fire has been settling in a highly localized area around the Lake McDonald Lodge."

The lodge had been expected to close on Sept. 27. But, said the 8:30 p.m. news release from Xanterra, "because employees work and live onsite, they have a longer duration exposure to the air conditions."

An air quality monitor installed at the lodge on Sunday at the request of the National Park Service showed air quality levels fluctuating between Good and "beyond the uppermost limit of 'hazardous,'" according to the release. At the park's air monitoring station at Apgar, readings fluctuated between Good and Moderate for the same period, "further supporting the observation that poor air quality appears to be concentrated in a very small geographic area of the park near the Lake McDonald Lodge area," Xanterra said.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/fire-update-lake-mcdonald-lodge-in-glacier-is-closing-for/article_686676eb-0da3-572b-adcc-5d6d65beb1aa.html