Fire Location Graphics:
General Fire Location Map
Half Moon Fire Map
Triangle Fire Map

Earlier fire updates:
Friday, August 18, 2000
Thursday, August 17, 2000
Wednesday, August 16, 2000
Tuesday, August 15, 2000
Monday, August 14, 2000
Sunday, August 13, 2000
Saturday, August 12, 2000

Revised B-T fire map 8/17/00
Western Wyoming fire map 8/17/00

More Bridger-Teton fire Information available at:
www.bridgertetonnationalforest.com

Fires at a Glance - Half Moon fire called 100% contained. Forest-wide open fire ban in effect. Closure on Elkhart Park trailhead may be lifted soon.

Summary: The Half Moon fire was declared 100% contained at 6 pm last night. Triangle fire is at 50% containment. The Type II Team is expected to move on to other fires in the next day or so with fire management being returned to the local level. The Triangle fire is burning within its perimeter within the wilderness area in very steep country. Yesterday was the first day action has been taken on this fire with a helicopter being freed up to do 9 bucket drops. Four 20-man crews will remain on the ground working on the Half Moon fire today through tomorrow.  The Special Closure Order for the Half Moon & Triangle Lakes fire areas is expected to be relaxed shortly reopening the road to Elkhart trailhead, however the closure is likely to remain in effect for the Long Lake and Glimpse Lake trails. The Half Moon lake road is expected to open back up for homeowners and Half Moon Lake Resort personnel and guests only. A forest-wide ban on all open fires remains in effect today.

Closure Map - Revised 8/14/00 at 8 am

Half Moon/Triangle Fires
Approximately 915 acres 
Half Moon is being called 100% contained, Triangle is 50% contained

Half Moon Fire Location: On northeast end of Half Moon Lake on both sides of Pole Creek drainage, up to the west side of Fayette Lake, up to the Sweeny Creek Pack Trail.
Triangle Fire Location: Within the Bridger Wilderness between Long Lake/Upper Long Lake & Triangle Lake, approximately 2 miles east & 1 mile north of the head end of Fremont Lake.
Status: 119 people remain on the firelines on Half Moon fire mopping up hot spots. Triangle remains within natural barriers. Final mapping of the Half Moon fire at the time of containment shows this fire at 915 acres, hence an acreage decrease

Last night's lightning storm brought on two more small spot fires, one in the Twin Creeks area near Waterdog Lake in the Upper Green River and the other in the Wyoming Range on the south fork of Horse Creek. Hel-attack crews are on these fires with ground crews on their way. So far these fires are small. District personnel are promptly checking out reports of any new smokes. "The public has been real good about calling us right away if they see any smokes." commented Barb Franklin, Information Officer for the Pinedale Ranger District, this morning. "We're still keeping a real close eye on all these fires. We're not going to walk away from them." said Franklin.

Tentatively, the Special Closure is expected to be lifted partially tomorrow, Sunday, allowing access back into Elkhart Park trailhead via Skyline Drive. Long Lake & Glimpse Lake trails will likely remain closed due to the Triangle fire. Access to Half Moon lake is expected to be restricted to resort personnel & guests, homeowners, and fire personnel. The Half Moon road will not be open yet to the general public. Conditions are being re-evaluated daily, and can change on very short notice if the situation changes. Visitors should check with the Pinedale Ranger District office for the latest information on road and trailhead access.

Although cooler temperatures are predicted for the weekend, high winds and thunderstorms will affect fire behavior as a cold front passes through the Pacific Northwest, the Northern Rocky Mountains and parts of the Great Basin. "With the little amount of precipitation, these lightning fires may show up as things dry out", said John Fowler, Plans Chief for the Half Moon/Triangle fire complex.

While Half Moon fire is being called 100% contained, it will in reality be when the snow flies before the fire is completely out, "a season ending event". Four 20-man crews will remain on the fire today through tomorrow.  The Triangle fire is burning within natural boundaries and the Forest Service continues to monitor it closely. "Triangle is looking good." commented Cindy Stein of the Pinedale Ranger District. "If this was a controlled burn we were doing instead of a wildfire, we'd be real happy with its progress."

With all the fire activity and closures around Half Moon Lake, we wanted to emphasize that Lakeside Lodge, over on nearby Fremont Lake (and next to the fire basecamp), is still open for business. "Everything is favorable and we're fully operational!" commented Greg Ptasnik of Lakeside Lodge. The public can still use the marina, rent boats, stay in their log cabins, motel & RV park, fish, boat & hike as usual. While Lakeside hasn't had any cancellations due to the nearby Half Moon fire, people are calling first before they come. "We are open seasonally." said Ptasnik, "This is our window. We want people to know we are still open and they can come." The National Forest boat ramp just down the road is still open for public access to Fremont Lake, and the Fremont Lake Forest Service campground & boat dock on Fremont Lake road are still open to public access. Chef Wendy, of Lakeside Lodge restaurant, commented this morning that they hadn't been affected by the fire much, "At least we aren't having a fire sale!"

For information and reservations at Lakeside Lodge, call 307-367-2221 or visit them on the web at  www.lakesidelodge.com. 

Because of all the fire activity going on, we have created a new site that has broader information about what is going on with fires on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. www.bridgertetonnationalforest.com We are working very closely with the Forest Service on the information on this site and updating it frequently.

More area fire graphics:
National Interagency Fire Center Large Wildland Fire Map
National Interagency Fire Center web site (ww.nifc.gov)