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Wednesday,
September 5, 2001
FIRE
DANGER is: EXTREME
Fire Restrictions remain in effect
|Clear
Creek Fire| |Iron Creek Fire|
|Buford Fire on Big Piney RD| |Other
Fires|
Clear
Creek area 3-D map by Pinedale Online!
Clear
Creek Fire - 180 acres in the Wilderness
east of lower Green River Lakes.
Trail & Area Closures are in effect
The Clear Creek Fire is now approximately 180 acres
in size burning in the Clear Creek drainage near Clear Creek Falls and
lower Green River Lakes. The cause of this fire is still under investigation.
A closure is in effect for part of the Highline Continental Divide Trail
 #094,
but hikers can still get by along the other side of the lower lake to
access the CDT. (closure area) The
Clear Creek drainage is closed, including Clear Creek Natural Bridge and
Slide Lake areas, and campers were contacted by helicopter September 2nd
and advised to leave the area. It is unknown how long this closure will
remain in effect. The fire is being called 50% contained today and the
cooler and wetter weather should help  firefighters
get things under control soon.
The Green River Lakes campground, trailhead, and lodge
are not considered in eminent threat at this time, but this is being monitored
daily and evacuation actions may be taken if these areas are identified
as at risk.
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Earlier
Updates:
Monday,
September 3 update
Friday,
August 31 update
Wednesday, August 29 update
Wednesday,
August 22 update
Tuesday,
August 21, noon update
Monday, August
20 7pm update
Monday, August
20 10am update
Sunday, August
19 update
Wednesday, August
8 update
Wednesday, August
1 update
Sunday,
July 29 update
Friday,
July 27 update
Wednesday,
July 25 update
Tuesday,
July 24 update
Monday,
July 16 update
Monday, July 9 update
Sunday, July 8 update
Saturday, July 7 update
Friday July 6, 2001
9 pm update
Friday, July 6, 2001
8 am update
Thursday, July 5, 2001
Iron
Creek Fire:
click for
larger map
3-D
topo showing broader view of Big Sandy area, wilderness boundary, and
Iron Creek fire location. (8/31/01) Map
by Pinedale Online!
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 Clear
Creek Closure Area:
Highline Trail (CDT) #094: From Green River Trailhead to the junction
of Lakeside Trail #144
Clear Creek Trail #184: Entire trail closed
Slide Lake Trail #147: Entire trail closed
Note
that the Lakeside Trail #144 is open and provides an alternate
route for the Highline Trail (CDT) around lower Green River Lakes. Hikers
can still use the Continental Divide Trail system to bypass the south
and west sides of the closure area.
Currently
there are 50 firefighting personnel working this fire along with 2 helicopters.
A helibase is located out of Kendall Guard Station and the north side
of the Green River Lakes campground fence. The Fire Camp is based out
of Green River Lakes Campground.
Visitors
to the Green River Lakes area can expect to see Forest Service vehicles
on the main road as they are working this fire and helicopters flying
overhead. The campground host at Green River Lakes can provide updated
information about the fire, and there may be personnel stationed at the
Highline Trailhead near the bridge on the Green River stopping hikers
and providing information about the closure area.
Management objectives for this fire are:
1. Provide for firefighter and public safety.
2. Hold the
fire inside the Bridger Wilderness.
3. Utilize minimum impact suppression techniques to protect wilderness
resources.
Iron
Creek Fire
- 350 acres, Big Sandy area,
No closures or flight restrictions
The
Iron Creek fire continues to burn within the Bridger Wilderness and has
expanded to about 350 acres. It is being called "the perfect fire"
by managers who are pleased with the diverse burn pattern that is meeting
their management objectives. The fire is located within the Bridger Wilderness
approximately 2.5 miles north of Big Sandy Campground and continues to
progress in a north and northeast direction. The fire has progressed into
the Fish Lake drainage. Fire crews continue to prevent south and western
movement of the fire. Over the last two days, burnout operations have
reinforced the southern and western boundaries consuming fuels to create
a black line buffer zone in case of flare ups. There continues to be substantial
helicopter traffic in the area doing bucket drops and transporting supplies
and personnel. The area and Fremont Trail are still open to wilderness
recreation visitors. Firefighter personnel are posted as trail monitors
for visitor safety and there may be some delays on the Fremont trail depending
on fire activity.
This fire is being managed as a Wildland Fire Use for
Resource Benefit, meaning fire crews are allowing the fire to continue
to burn to accomplish objectives outlined in the Bridger Wilderness Management
Plan and the Bridger Wilderness Fire Plan. As a natural fire in the wilderness,
the burn will help to clear out underbrush and debris, renew plant growth
in the spring, and add nutrients back into the soil. The fire objective
is to prevent the blaze from spreading outside of the wilderness boundaries
where it might endanger the Big Sandy Campground, Big Sandy Lodge and
Summer Homes in the area. The fire is continuing to advance to the north
and east, as desired.
 With
the cooler weather coming in today, the fire activity has not grown significantly
and the Forest Service anticipates demobilizing some of the crews shortly.
Weather forecasts are for rain and even snow in the next couple of days
for over 8,500 feet elevation. The Iron Creek Fire is at 9,400 feet in
the Big Sandy area. "With
current weather and slow rate of spread, the fire is not expected to jump
over to the next forested area. The size of the fire is not expected to
increase much," said Wyn Menefee, Fire Information Officer for the
Iron Creek Fire this afternoon. "They are starting to cut back crews
tonight because they are expecting rain and the fire is slowing its rate
of spread. We probably won't need as many people on the fire if this continues."
Natural landscape barriers and the wind patterns have
been very useful in helping firefighters direct the direction of the fire's
burn. The Fremont Trail goes through a wide grassy meadow with trees on
the mountain sideslopes. The fire is burning in the trees on both sides
of the meadow, but has not burned much into the meadow or right to the
trail. Visitors and hunters are being cautioned that even though the trail
is open through the burn area, they should not go into the area of the
actual burn. Fire areas are very hazardous and  hazards
such as falling snags and unseen burning pockets can be dangerous. Fire
crews have removed many of the obvious snags near the trail in the area,
but falling trees within the fire area are a very real danger. Forest
officials advise visitors stay out of the actual burn area and camp away
from any snags that can potentially fall. "People need to be aware
of trees that can come down in the fire area. Crews have cut down many
of the obvious hazards near the trail, but there still is a danger, and
it is risky for people to go into the burned area" said Menefee.
The Forest Service has been using the help of Big Sandy
Lodge to transport supplies in and out of the area. They
have also been preparing meals for firefighters. "We really appreciate
the efforts that Big Sandy Lodge made to accommodate the food services
we required. They pulled it together really fast. It was really good for
the crews up there eating good hot food instead of eating MREs. It was
very good for crew morale. Big Sandy Lodge has been right on top of any
changes that we made and have been really flexible. They were great!"
commented Menefee.
Management objectives for this fire are:
1. Provide for firefighter, visitor and aviation safety, including firefighter
health and wellness.
2. Allow the fire to move north and east further into the Bridger Wilderness.
3. Keep the fire from moving west and southwest outside of the Bridger
Wilderness (the approved fire plan boundary).
4. Manage the fire using minimum impact suppression tactics, with minimum
disruption to wilderness visitors, wilderness and aquatic/riparian resources.
If
you plan to travel through the Big Sandy Fish Creek Park area and would
like more information, you can contact Wyn Menefee, Fire Information Office
at the Pinedale Ranger District, at 307-367-5720.
Other
Fires
Buford Fire: This fire was reported on the
Big Piney Ranger District, approximately 9 miles northwest of the Sherman
Guard Station, near the headwaters of Grizzly Creek. This fire was quickly
responded to by four firefighters and contained at ¼ acre at 2:00
am Wednesday morning.
The Wolf
Creek Fire, located in the Snake River Canyon south of Jackson near
Wolf Creek, is still burning 70 acres less than 1/2 mile away from highway
26/89. Air operations supplying water from the Snake River and the proximity
of this fire to the highway is causing significant traffic congestion
in the area. Motorists are cautioned against stopping in the road or parking
in turnouts along the highway to look at this fire or helicopters gathering
water. There have been several near misses as motorists are paying more
attention to the fire than to their driving. Crews have posted and barricaded
turnouts near the fire to prevent unnecessary congestion. River users
are requested to quickly move through the Wolf Creek Area to prevent delays
in Air Operations using the river to supply water to the fire. At this
time, three helicopters, three twenty-person hand crews and two Hot Shot
crews are working this fire. While high winds yesterday caused air operations
to shut down, the steep and rugged terrain in the area actually helped
protect the fire from flare-ups normally associated with high winds. As
favorable weather conditions are projected for today, fire officials are
planning a direct attack on the northern flank with Hotshot crews, while
hand crews continue mop-up operations on the ridge, southern flank and
bottom drainage areas of this fire. Prevailing winds in this area typically
come from the Southwest, pushing the fire Northeast, away from the highway.
If in fact the fire does reach the highway, which is unexpected, fire
officials will work with Wyoming Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation
to minimize closure periods and impacts to travelers. While some outfitter
camps exist in the area, there are no structures or developed areas threatened
by this fire at this time.
The Bear
Cub Fire located on August 26th in the Teton Wilderness, is still
estimated at thirty acres. Presently, this fire is confined to its present
area and all personnel have been re-assigned to the Wolf Creek Fire. This
fire will be monitored closely for the remainder of the season.
The Falcon
Fire is still showing slow growth and is approximately 2,900 acres
in size. The fire has moved west of Falcon Creek but will eventually run
into previously burned areas from 1988. This fire is also confined to
its present area and will be monitored for the remainder of the season.
Forest conditions
are still extremely dry. While these fires pose no threat to recreation
opportunities in the Greater Yellowstone Area at this time, visitors and
forest users are encouraged to practice safety when recreating in the
Forest or Park. The Bridger-Teton National Forest is still in Partial
Fire Restrictions, which limits the use of open fires to developed campground
facilities only and prohibits charcoal and wood fires in the backcountry.
Only propane or liquid fueled stoves are allowed in back country areas.
See the
Teton Fires web site for additional fire information and the latest press
releases, www.tetonfires.com
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The
Clear Creek Fire continues to burn near Green River Lakes in the
northern portion of the Wind River Range. A Closure
has been put into effect for the Clear Creek and Slide Lake areas. (see
Closure Map) Hikers can still access the Continental Divide Trails
along the western side of lower Green River Lakes and the western perimeter
of the closure area. This fire is approximately 180 acres in size and
the cause is unknown.
