[3] The Sperry Chalet was built in 1913 by workers employed by the Great Northern Railway and is listed as on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nearly 100 firefighters had been assigned to the fire protecting structures such as Sperry Chalet with a portable pond and sprinklers and had the support of one helicopter performing water drops on hot spots.

The fire assessment was that the sparse vegetation and somewhat cooler temperatures would help firefighters protect structures and that Sperry Chalet was not in imminent danger.

[5] By August 28, the fire has spread to over 1,500 acres (610 ha) and firefighters continued to reduce fuel loads in potential burn areas and to protect and monitor conditions near Sperry Chalet.

Though the fire was 2 mi (3.2 km) from the lodge complex, heavy smoke had been settling in during the evenings and lingering into the mornings, reaching the "uppermost limit of hazardous".

Fire behavior was expected to be severe and unpredictable and this, in conjunction with worsening air quality in the Lake McDonald region, led to the management decision for a mandatory evacuation.

Spot fires were still reported in the area around Sperry Chalet and firefighters continued mop up operations there and were working on installing sprinkler systems for the Lake McDonald Lodge complex.

[14] On September 8 the acreage burned was estimated at 13,245 acres (5,360 ha) and had not increased in several days due to very heavy smoke and haze dampening the spread of the fire.

[15] By September 9 a dry cold front helped to circulate some smoke out, improving visibility but also increasing the size of the fire that was listed at 13,674 acres (5,534 ha).

[18] Officials at Glacier National Park and with Flathead County, Montana, issued an evacuation warning for Apgar Village at the southwestern end of Lake McDonald and portions of the adjacent community of West Glacier, Montana, to residents to be prepared to evacuate should the approaching weather system cause a sudden spread of the Sprague Fire.

[23] By September 23, officials lifted the mandatory evacuation order for the Lake McDonald region but the Going-to-the-Sun Road remained closed to tourism due to ongoing fire activity.

[25] With the arrival of October, snow was expected throughout Glacier National Park, and the fire was deemed to no longer pose a threat to most structures, particularly those in the Lake McDonald complex, so firefighters busied themselves removing, "55,000 feet of hose, 24 Mark III pumps, 270 sprinklers and 6 portable water tanks".

[26] Visiting the fire on September 16, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke stated that rebuilding the Sperry Chalet would be a top priority and an engineering firm had already inspected the structure and was preparing a proposal on how to reinforce the remaining stone walls for the upcoming winter and other stabilization efforts.