With an approaching cold front that could blow up the Sprague Fire, authorities on Wednesday issued an evacuation warning for the West Glacier and Apgar areas of Glacier National Park in Montana. The order didn't call for an evacuation, but rather notified residents to be ready to leave if conditions warranted.

"Based on recommendations from the Sprague Fire Incident Management Team, Glacier National Park and the Flathead County Sheriff have issued an Evacuation Warning effective September 13 at 12 p.m. for all residents and visitors in the Apgar Village and portions of West Glacier," a park release said. "This includes the Apgar Visitor Center, Apgar Village Lodge and Cabins, Glacier National Park employee housing, West Glacier Park Headquarters, Glacier Institute Field Camp, Alberta Visitor Center, some West Glacier motels, concession housing, and private residences.

"Portions of West Glacier under evacuation warning include: West Glacier Village, Highline Blvd. neighborhood, Golf Course neighborhood, Wild River Dr. / Grouse Ridge Rd. neighborhood, and west toward Sloan Lane neighborhood."

An Evacuation Warning is issued when current or projected threats from hazards associated with the Sprague Fire are severe enough to indicate a good probability of the need to evacuate. A warning is equivalent to the “Set” in the Ready, Set, Go notification system.

The Sprague Fire Incident Management Team made the recommendation in preparation for Wednesday evening’s forecasted high east winds, which could increase activity on the west side of the Sprague Fire.

The Five P’s of an Evacuation Warning:

• People and Pets (and other livestock too)
• Papers (important documents)
• Prescriptions (medications, eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc.)
• Pictures (and other irreplaceable memories)
• Personal computer (e.g., information on hard drives and disks)

Some trails and backcountry campgrounds are closed due to fire activity. To find a list of those closures, check this page.

Most areas of the park remained open Wednesday, including areas of the North Fork, Apgar Village, the Going-to-the-Sun Road between St. Mary and Logan Pass, Granite Park Chalet, Two Medicine, St. Mary, and Many Glacier.