Fires at a Glance: All fires on the Pinedale Ranger District are currently100% contained.  Elkhart Park trailhead into wilderness open to public access. Long Lake & Glimpse Lake trails still closed. Half Moon Lake Resort open again for overnight guests. Open fire ban on the entire Bridger-Teton National Forest still in effect.

Revised Half Moon/Triangle Closure Map
  8/20/2000 (56 K)

Fire Location Graphics:
Half Moon Fire Map
Triangle Fire Map

Summary: All fires on the Pinedale Ranger District are 100% contained. Crews still are on the Half Moon and Lovatt fires, and the Triangle fire is getting some helicopter bucket attention. Elkhart Park is open to the public, with the exception of Long Lake & Glimpse Lake trails, which remain closed due to the Triangle fire. Half Moon Lake Resort is open to overnight guests only. The Half Moon road continues to be restricted to firefighting personnel, homeowners, and Half Moon Resort guests. The Boulder Lake trail is currently closed due to the Lovatt fire, but may reopen by the weekend.

Further information is available at the following interagency website:  www.tetonfires.com

Pinedale Ranger District personnel are breathing a sigh of relief, at least for today. Half Moon fire still has 3 crews on it doing mop up and one crew is working on the Lovatt fire in Boulder Canyon. The Triangle continues to get helicopter bucket drops to keep it from burning into trees on the west side.

The main road to Elkhart Park trailhead is currently open to the public, however the Long Lake & Glimpse Lake trails remain closed. The road to Half Moon Lake is restricted to firefighting personnel, homeowners, and overnight guests of Half Moon Lake Resort.

Visitors: Please check in with the Pinedale Ranger District before heading into the back country to get the latest updates on conditions, closures & restrictions. Currently fire danger remains EXTREMELY HIGH and there is a ban on all open fires on the entire Bridger-Teton National Forest. NO campfires are allowed at any time. (Bring warm clothing to layer and a below freezing rated sleeping bag. Night-time temperatures are dipping below freezing.) Campstoves using liquid fuel are allowed.

Small fires near Slide Lake by Green River Lakes, Twin Creeks, Prospect, south Horse Creek and North Cottonwood Creeks are declared out. Pinedale Ranger District personnel emphasized that while things have quieted down for the moment, the fire danger has not gone down at all. New fires can start at any time from lightning strikes or as holdovers from earlier lightning storms. When warmer temperatures and increased winds caused Half Moon fire to get hot again earlier in the week, District firefighters were reminded that the Half Moon fire "is still a long ways from being out". Sandy Beach and Picnic Area are still being used as fire camp for the Half Moon fire and is still closed to the general public. 

Cindy Stein, of the Pinedale Ranger District, commented that the support they have received from the community has been fantastic. "The community has really helped a lot, from restaurants feeding firefighters, to motels accommodating last-minute reservations, cancellations, and funny payment plans", said Stein. "The public has been great about reporting smokes. Just about every fire we've had has been reported by the public."

Across Region 4, Forest Service personnel held a 30-minute "stand down for safety" to honor fallen wildland firefighters and take a moment to remind those on the front lines, and those behind the desks, that "firefighter and public safety is the number one priority during this abnormal fire season." On our fires locally, there have only been 3 minor injuries resulting from cinders in the eye and a sprained ankle. "We all need to work as a team and watch out for each other," said Stein, "We need to not get burned, not get injured, and not get killed."

Here at Pinedale Online, we've been working with the Forest Service for the past 10 days to post updated fire information as quickly as possible on 3 web sites. The past 3 days have been devoted exclusively to transitioning the www.bridgertetonnationalforest.com website into an entirely new web site for fire information for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. The site is up now. Please visit www.tetonfires.com for daily updates on fires in the region. We will continue to update these fire pages as often as necessary depending on what the fire conditions are in our area and any changes in trail or wilderness status. 

For fire information on the east side of the Wind River Mountains and in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area, please contact the Forest Service at the Dubois Ranger Station of the Shoshone National Forest at 307-455-2466 or visit their fire web site. 

Earlier fire updates:
Monday, August 21, 2000
Sunday, August 20, 2000
Saturday, August 19, 2000
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
 

We also want to say thank you to the community for their part in helping with the firefighting efforts. Many of our local outfitters and guides were forced to reroute or cancel trips that were planned to take off out of Elkhart Park. Bald Mountain Outfitters' main base is out of Elkhart and they had to cancel several large wilderness pack trips and were forced to evacuate their horses, tack, and equipment from their site near Elkhart. Kelley Pearson of O'Kelley Outfitting told us today that people are definitely reconsidering their trips here, especially with the no campfire restriction, saying "I don't want to eat granola for 4 days." 

While we know we can't mention everyone who has contributed to the fire effort, special mention goes out to the local restaurants, such as Stockman's and Wrangler's Cafe, who have altered their hours on short notice to feed firefighting personnel. Pinedale Campground stayed open late to allow firefighters coming off the line to use their showers. Half Moon Resort and Boulder Lake Lodge have been shut down to the public, but helped feed firefighters and move supplies & equipment with fires not too far from their locations. Faler's, Stanley's Junction, and Trailside have helped feed hungry people working the fires and those coming into town late needing something to eat. Local businesses from the folks who sharpened the saws to the ones who helped with tire repairs, have all done their part for the firefighting effort. The folks at the Forest Service have been very grateful to all the businesses in town for their help, "We really want to thank the community! They've been excellent." 

Please visit www.tetonfires.com for more information on wildfires in the area. 

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