The Howe Ridge Fire was forcing evacuation of campgrounds and the Lake McDonald Lodge complex in Glacier National Park/NPS

Editor's note: This updates with national fire statistics, details on fires in other units of the National Park System.

A wildfire season that has touched national parks from Wyoming to Hawaii swept into Glacier National Park in Montana during the weekend as lightning sparked three fires, including one that forced the nighttime evacuation of the Lake McDonald Lodge complex and a nearby campground and claimed an undetermined number of structures.

The Howe Ridge Fire added to a 2018 fire season that has eclipsed the 10-year average of 4,418,011 acres burned year-to-date. As of Monday morning, 40,079 fires had burned 5,661,659 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Not only were active duty military personnel called in to help with some of the fires, but crews from Australia and New Zealand also were brought in.

Going into this past weekend, wildfires had charred parts of Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Hawai'i Volcanoes national parks, as well as almost all of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in northern California.

Glacier, which had a devastating 2017 fire season that saw the historic Sperry Chalet fall to the flames of the Sprague Fire, had avoided flames this year until Saturday, when lightning strikes touched off three fires. The most dangerous fire as of Monday morning was the Howe Ridge blaze that blew up Sunday evening under gusting winds that drove the flames through tinder-dry forests and over mountains. More than 150 visitors were evacuated from campsites and Lake McDonald Lodge on Sunday evening. Private residences along the North Lake McDonald Road and Going-to-the-Sun Road also were evacuated, and officials reported that an undetermined number of structures on the north end of Lake McDonald were lost to the flames.

In addition to evacuating nearly 90 campsites at the Avalanche Campground and 82 rooms at Lake McDonald Lodge, the 25-site Sprague Campground was being closed Monday due to the fire. All visitor services at Lake McDonald Lodge also were closed.

"The evacuations were ordered when the fire column shifted and began spotting and moving over the ridge," a park release explained Monday morning. "A fire spot was found as far away as the opposite side of Stanton Mountain. Fire behavior last night was extreme. Tree torching, crown runs, wind driven fire, and fire spots up to a half-mile away occurred for multiple hours."

There was no immediate estimate of the size of the blaze, which led to closure of the Going-to-the-Sun Road from Apgar to Logan Pass. The route remained open on the eastern side of the park between St. Mary and Logan Pass. Most other areas of the park were open as well.

Multiple trail closures were associated with this fire, including The Loop trail. A list of trail closures was posted on the park’s website. Visitors with cars parked at The Loop were being directed to drive out of the park via St. Mary.

While officials reported that structures on the north end of Lake McDonald were lost to the fire, details as to the number and kinds of buildings were not immediately available.

Local fire resources from other agencies have been arriving over the last 24 hours in a limited capacity. Canadian “super scoopers” were assigned to the Howe Ridge Fire on Sunday for a four-hour cycle, but couldn't blunt the blaze. The planes were unable to fly very close to the fire to drop water due to high winds. 

Monday morning there were reports that the fire was spotting on the Trout Lake side of Stanton Mountain. Fire behavior was calm in the morning, but there were concerns it might pick up as the day warmed up.

The top fire priority Monday was firefighter and visitor safety. Ground firefighters were evaluating what areas of the fire were possible to contain with resources on hand. They were also to establish trigger points that would prompt additional evacuations or warnings for other areas in the park. Suppression operations also continued at Numa Ridge and on the Heavens Sake Fire, which also were started Saturday by lightning.

Elsewhere in the National Park System:

* The Bacon Rind Fire along Yellowstone National Park's western boundary had blown up to 1,321 acres under blustery conditions. The fire, sparked by lightning on July 20, closed the following Yellowstone backcountry trails: Daly Creek Trail, Black Butte Trail, Daly/Black Butte Cutoff Trail, Daly/North Tepee Cutoff Trail, Specimen Creek Trail, Sportsman Lake Trail (east fork of Specimen) from HWY 191 to Gallatin BMA 3 miles from Sportsman Lake Cabi, Crescent-High Lake Trail, Skyrim Trail (Daly pass to Sheep Mountain), Fawn Pass Trail at HWY 191 to Gallatin BMA boundary, Fan Creek Trail to Sportsman Lake Trail junction, Bacon Rind Trail. Additionally, a small, two-tenths of an acre fire, was spotted Friday near Heart Lake in the park.

* The Ferguson Fire that was spotted July 13 in the Sierra National Forest and burned into Yosemite National Park covered 96,457 acres Monday morning and was 86 percent contained. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoiaas in Yosemite was to reopen to the public Monday, and the Yosemite Valley was to reopen Tuesday.

* The Obi Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park covered nearly 8,700 acres Sunday night. Closures due to the fire included the Cape Royal Road from the junction with Point Imperial Road, and the Swamp Ridge Road. Trails closed included the North Bass Trail, Powell Plateau Trail, Nankoweap Trail, Point Imperial Trail, Cape Final Trail, Cliff Spring Trail, the northern section of the Ken Patrick Trail from Point Imperial to Cape Royal Road, and the southern section of the Ken Patrick Trail from Cape Royal Road to the old Bright Angel Trail.

* The Keauhou Fire at Hawai'i Volcanes covered 3,739 acres Monday morning and was 63 percent contained. Firefighters had been successful so far in keeping the flames out of the Kīpuka Kī Special Ecological Area, a cultural heritage area and rare forest habitat for endangered species.

* The Timber Crater 6 Fire at Crater Lake National Park was last reported at 3,126 acres, with 85 percent containment.

* While the Carr Fire was no longer burning in Whiskeytown, it left devastation across the NRA, with power lines and utility poles downed, cabins burned to the ground, and the wastewater treatment plant damaged.