Air tankers have been dropping water on the Howe Ridge Fire at Glacier National Park/NPS

A dozen or more structures, including a number of private summer homes, have been destroyed by a wildfire at Glacier National Park, where moderating weather Tuesday was coming to the aid of firefighters battling the blaze.

While park staff didn't have exact numbers on buildings lost to the Howe Ridge Fire that was sparked by lightning Saturday and then blew up Sunday under gusting winds, they said "approximately seven private summer residences and additional outbuildings were lost at Kelly’s Camp at the end of North Lake McDonald Road. Additionally, the main Kelly’s camp house, a second cabin, and other structures under National Park Service ownership were destroyed. One Kelly’s Camp home did survive the fire, as did multiple other privately owned homes and structures in other areas of North McDonald Road."

In addition, the staff said they believe that "three outbuildings of the National Park Service-owned Wheeler residence, the Wheeler boat house, and the boat house at the Lake McDonald Ranger Station were lost. The main Wheeler cabin did survive, after valiant firefighting efforts that saved it after it caught fire."

The Lake McDonald Ranger Station was also saved, following a fire on its roof.

The fire was estimated to cover nearly 2,600 acres on the north side of Lake McDonald. The weather forecast Tuesday called for calm winds but hot and dry conditions. Firefighters were working to suppress spot fires along the north end of Lake McDonald. CL-215 “Superscoopers” and a K-Max helicopter again were sent into the air to drop water scooped up from the lake, focusing on the north and southwest edges of the fire.

Sunday night the fire activity prompted multiple evacuations on the North Lake McDonald Road, the Lake McDonald Lodge Complex, Avalanche and Sprague Creek Campgrounds, nearby hiking trails, and a roughly 30-mile stretch of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

According to park staff, Kelly’s Camp, located along the west shore of the north end of Lake McDonald, began as a cabin resort developed by Frank and Emmeline Kelly in the early years of the park. Homesteaded by Frank Kelly in 1894, by 1931 it had become a popular summer cabin resort. In the 1960s cabins were sold to individual owners, many of whom were longtime Kelly’s visitors, continuing the cabin community.

The Wheeler Complex, east of Kelly’s camp, was owned by Montana Senator Burton K. Wheeler, and was used by Senator Wheeler and his family as their summer home starting in 1916. The National Park Service acquired the property in 2014.

“This is a heartbreaking time at the park,” said Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow. “We’ve lost extremely important historic buildings that tell a piece of the park’s story, and multiple people have lost homes that have welcomed their families to the shores of Lake McDonald for generations.”