WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) -- The weather has been cooperating with firefighters battling a massive blaze in Glacier National Park, allowing them to complete part of a burnout to protect a historic lodge and houses near the western shore of Lake McDonald.
Crews planned to complete the upper portion of the burnout Thursday, creating a barrier that will rob the 39,750-acre fire of fuel, said fire information officer Marybell Lansford.
Forecasters said a dry cold front would hit the state Friday or later, giving firefighters time to prepare for the expected strong, erratic winds.
``This worked out great for us today, but we're even more pleased that we're going to get good weather tomorrow,'' Lansford said late Wednesday.
The fire forced the evacuation of the western part of Glacier for the second time in two weeks Sunday when it jumped a road that had been used as a barrier.
The park's popular Lake McDonald area, including Going-to-the-Sun Road from West Glacier to Logan Pass, remained closed to visitors.
It was one of several dozen fires _ the vast majority of which are believed to have been started by lightning _ that continue to burn in Montana, stretching firefighting crews thin.
At Yellowstone National Park, the East Entrance reopened Wednesday after it was closed due to a 2,700-acre fire that crept within about 200 yards of the pavement. The entrance was first closed Tuesday evening, and park officials said it might be closed again if conditions become hazardous to drivers.
Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills, Calif., a hillside brush fire threatened more than a dozen homes late Wednesday, blowing burning embers into the neighborhood as firefighters rushed to surround the flames.
Nearly 50 firefighters were battling the blaze. The cause was not immediately known and no evacuations were immediately ordered.
In Idaho, more than 2,300 firefighters were working across the state Wednesday, attacking the many wildfires burning on more than 37,000 acres in the rugged backcountry.
