Winds Likely to Slow Down Firefighting Effort in Montana
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: In Montana, fire officials say, strong winds will likely slow efforts to contain a spreading wildfire in Glacier National Park. The 48 thousand-acre blaze in northwest Montana has only been about 5 percent contained. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is tracking firefighting efforts from Columbia Falls, Montana. Thelma, what do you know at this late point?</s>THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, as you had mentioned, this fire is only 5 percent contained, 48 thousand acres have already burned. And right now the temperatures are heating up and the winds are starting to pick up, and that is a potentially lethal combination for firefighters out on the line. Right now there's 1100 firefighter who've flown into Montana from all over the country. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has 233 people out here to help in that effort. Chadeen Palmer a spokesperson. Chadeen, can you please tell me about some of the people on your tribal crews?</s>CHADEEN PALMER, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER: OK. We have several tribal crews here, including Blackfeet Hot Shots, the Rocky (ph) Boy Hot Shot, and we also have a hot shot crew from Arizona, the Geronimo Hot Shots.</s>GUTIERREZ: Now, you had mentioned that you expected this to be a very bad day, possibly a red flag warning would go out. Can you explain what that means?</s>PALMER: Yes. A red flag warning is issued when the winds exceed 25 miles per hour. When that occurs,</s>GUTIERREZ: During that time the fire's allowed to burn?</s>PALMER: Yes. There's not any safe way that we can send any crews in or any ground support in, and so it's necessary for us to call everybody back in.</s>GUTIERREZ: Right now were about 15 miles away from the fire, there are 37 homes that are surrounded. Can you describe the conditions in the North Fork area, and what you're doing to try to protect those homes?</s>PALMER: OK, we've had a structure protection unit go in. They have wrapped the homes in a protective covering, which is more or less like a foil wrapping. The entire structure is wrapped. We have also wrapped wooden bridges. When the fire comes through -- we have done back burning efforts as well, which removes any fuel that's surrounding the structures -- when the fire moves through, the -- when the fire reaches the area that the fuel has been burned out and the structures are wrapped, then it's able to pass through without burning down the structure. We have also wrapped wooden bridges when the fire comes through. We have done back burning efforts as well which removes fuel that surrounding the structures when the fire moves through, the -- when the fire reaches the area that the fuel has been burned out and the structure are wrapped then able to pass, too without burning down the structure. `</s>GUTIERREZ: And you've said you've gone back and you have actually seen that those structures are left standing because of this material here. It is not cheap material, is it?</s>PALMER: No it's not. It's about $300 per hundred foot wrap.</s>GUTIERREZ: And it's very labor intensive.</s>PALMER: That's right.</s>GUTIERREZ: And that's going on right now in North...</s>PALMER: That's correct. And we are also doing some of the Lake McDonald area, which would be in the southeastern portion of the fire -- to where the fire's headed.</s>GUTIERREZ: Can you tell me what the outlook is for the fire right now? Forty-eight thousand acres have already burned and each day around noon the winds start to kick up, which makes that a very difficult effort out here.</s>PALMER: Yes, it is. And we have no prediction of where we might reach containment. If there's a lot of country out there that's in the way of the fire then it's going to burn then we just can only do our very best, which we are doing. We have a lot of experienced people here. And mother nature will do her best to see what she -- until she runs out of fuel.</s>GUTIERREZ: All right, Chadeen Palmer, for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, thank you very much for joining us. Again, 48 thousand acres have burned. No homes thankfully have been destroyed. We understand that three structures have burned, but those structures are outbuilding, not homes. And thankfully, no injuries. Donna, back to you.</s>KELLEY: OK, Thelma Gutierrez from Columbia Falls, Montana, thanks very much.