ELMO - What is now being called the Elmo Fire has grown to nearly 13,000 acres as it burns in the Elmo area.
Fire managers report the fire was most active on the northwest side Sunday afternoon and evening in the Cromwell Creek area.
Similar fire behavior is expected Monday with short crown runs occurring in narrow strings of timber.
A public meeting to discuss the blaze — which forced evacuations and road closures when it broke out on Friday evening — will take place on Monday, at 7 p.m. at the Elmo Pow Wow Grounds on US Highway 93.
A new Incident Management Team took over the fire on Saturday and there are currently 193 people assigned to battle the blaze.
The Elmo fire continues to burn in grass and timber to the west of Flathead Lake.
While pre-evacuation warnings remain in place for residents south of Lake Mary Ronan Road and west of Highway 93, the evacuation orders have been lifted for the Chief Cliff Estates.
Montana Highway 28 reopened to traffic on Saturday evening but officials caution drivers that smoke may cause low visibility along the road.
The Boat Ramp at the Elmo Fishing Access Site remains closed as does Lake Mary Ronan State Park. Big Arm State Park reopened to the public on Sunday morning.
Fire managers note that "critical fire weather" is in the forecast for Monday along with a Red Flag Warning.
