Conditions in Glacier National Park were tinder-dry early last week. The National Weather Service outlined northwest Montana in bold red: “critical” conditions for wildfires. Relative humidity was 20 percent at best, and winds were blowing from the west around 20 mph. On top of that, the forecast included dry thunderstorms, which are exactly what they sound like all of the lightning, none of the rain. When Justin Bilton and his 70-year-old father drove into Glacier for a camping trip on Aug. 12, everything was fine. Three hours later, it was hell on Earth.
Read Full Article