Glacier Superintendent Mick Holm praised firefighters' gutsy work _ especially lighting timber and other fuels to stall the advancing main fire _ for protecting the area.
``I thank God it turned out the way it did,'' he said.
A fast-moving wildfire had forced officials to close park headquarters more than a week ago before a partial reopening on Monday. Park officials waived park fees on Monday because only day trips were allowed _ and only to Apgar Village.
Monday's reopening came just a day after officials lifted an evacuation order and let residents and business owners in and around West Glacier return.
The humid, overcast weather on Monday kept fire activity reasonably low on the 24,400-acre fire, information officer Andy Williams said.
``This weather is really helping,'' he said. ``The longer it lasts, the better we'll feel about this fire.''
Firefighters were focusing efforts on the west and north flanks of the fire, Williams said, as well as its northeastern edge, to keep it from making any runs. The fire was about 40 percent contained.
The weather also helped firefighters with a 25,200-acre fire that was burning about five miles from the Canadian border and had burned about 4,000 acres in Glacier. The fire was about 45 percent contained, officials said.
The National Interagency Fire Center reported Monday that 25 large fires were burning in nine western states, down from 41 large fires less than a week ago. So far this fire season, wildfires have charred 1.85 million acres.
By this time last year, wildfires had scorched nearly 4.5 million acres, including 150,000-acres in California's Sequoia National Forest where a woman lit a camp fire without a permit so she could cook hot dogs.
Peri Dare Van Brunt, who admitted starting the blaze, was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison in a deal with prosecutors.
She pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges in the four-month blaze that also destroyed three homes, a lodge and four commercial buildings, and endangered groves of sequoias, some of the world's largest trees.
Prosecutors said private landowners are asking for restitution, which is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The U.S. Forest Service is also seeking $148 million for the cost of fighting the fire, forest restoration and other losses such as hunting licenses and food, hotel and gas revenues.
