Firefighters have been wetting down the area in the Lake McDonald Lodge complex with hopes of preventing the Sprague Fire from reaching the complex/NPS

"Rain for Rent," a large-scale piping system designed to spray water over large areas, was being installed at Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park to protect the historic facility and its surrounding complex from the Sprague Fire that has been burning for nearly a month in the mountains above the lake.

The main line for the system was installed Thursday, and lateral lines were expected to be completed Friday, the National Park Service said.

"This will free up existing pump and hose lay systems to be moved to other areas where they are needed. Sprinklers and road spraying were being done around the Lake McDonald Lodge complex to increase local humidity and cool the immediate area," the agency added in a morning update. "This is also being done in the Avalanche Creek Campground and Trail of the Cedars area. Similar protections are being installed in the North McDonald Lake area."

Sprinklers also were set up along the Trail of the Cedars across from Lake McDonald in an attempt to protect that area from the fire.

A lightning strike ignited the wildfire back on August 10. While it smoldered for a few days, it soon flared up and grew rapidly in size, reaching more than 13,000 acres. Along the way the flames consumed the century-old Sperry Chalet located at the end of a 6-mile trail leading out from Lake McDonald.

The fire settled down somewhat Thursday as winds died and heavy smoke covered the area, acting as a damper of sorts. Unfortunately, with visibility cut to less than a mile, aircraft could not fly to dump water on the flames, and similar conditions were forecast for Friday.

Still in place Friday was an evacuation order issued last Sunday. It applied from the south end of Lake McDonald north to Logan Pass and includes the North McDonald Road but not the Apgar area. Logan Pass was still accessible from the east side of the Park. 

A "Rain for Rent" system similar to this one is being set up in a bid to protect the Lake McDonald Lodge from the Sprague Fire/Rain For Rent