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Boulder
Lake area closures have been lifted as of today. All roads, trails, campgrounds
and lakes are now open. The Boulder Fire is 100% Contained.
All
crews were demobilized from the Boulder Fire as of today. Two Sublette
County fire engines remain on patrol in the area throughout the week.
All closures have been lifted in the Boulder Lake area due to this fire.
There currently are no other fires on the Pinedale Ranger District. The
Wind River, Wyoming Range and Gros Ventre Mountains are all open, but
fire danger remains Extreme.
The
Boulder Fire was located on Bridger-Teton National Forest and private
land between Boulder and Burnt Lakes, approximately 8 air miles east of
Pinedale and 7 air miles northeast of Boulder, Wyoming. The fire burned
on the north side of Boulder Lake on a south-facing slope, almost exclusively
in grass and sagebrush with only small pockets of aspen trees burned.
Boulder Lake Summer Homes, Skinner Brothers Wilderness Camp on Burnt Lake,
and Boulder Lake BLM Campground were threatened within a mile of the blaze,
but the fire did not reach them. Skinner Brother's Camp and the area around
Burnt, Meadow and Huckleberry Lakes were evacuated by Sublette County
Sheriff's Office and Search & Rescue personnel. The area north of
Boulder Lake and around Burnt, Meadow & Huckleberry Lakes were closed
for a short time. The Boulder Lake Summer Homes and BLM campground were
on readiness alert in case an evacuation order was issued, but this did
not become necessary as suppression efforts contained the fire.
There has been no spotting outside the fire perimeter, and
the fire was kept out of the timber. The storm on Monday night brought
welcome rain and relief to the firefighting efforts allowing crews to
get a better handle on the fire. Quick initial response by Sublette County
and Forest Service personnel, as well as air tanker and helicopter support,
played a critical role in combating this fire in the rough, steep terrain
and keeping it from spreading further. Recreationists in the area are
credited for calling this fire in quickly which allowed firefighting personnel
to get resources out to combat the blaze promptly. Sublette County Sheriff's
Office and Search & Rescue personnel very efficiently evacuated recreationists
from the areas threatened by the fire.
This fire is suspected to have been human-caused, but
the exact cause has not been officially determined. The fire started on
the boundary between National Forest and private land on the north side
of Boulder Lake. The trail and campground are on the opposite side of
the lake.
Apparently
there is still some confusion about what is and isn't allowed under the
current fire restrictions and the Forest Service is still finding abandoned
campfires in dispersed areas as well as in campgrounds. The open fire
restriction applies to all of Sublette County, including private lands.
Ranchers and landowners: burning trash in open barrels is not permitted,
even on your own land. If you want to have a Bar-B-Q, you need to be using
either a fully enclosed grill or be in a campground using a provided pit
or metal fire grill. A developed recreation area means a campground managed
by the Forest Service, BLM or some agency. An open area at the end of
a two-track road by a lake or stream with a campfire ring is not a developed
camping spot! If you aren't sure what is permitted, call the Forest Service
or Sheriff's Office and ask. Anyone found responsible for causing a wildfire
may be held responsible for the firefighting costs, so a carelessly tossed
cigarette or morning warming fire could end up being very expensive.
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Earlier
Updates:
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
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