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Friday,
August 31, 2001
FIRE
DANGER is: EXTREME
Three relatively small fires are currently burning
on the lower end of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. On the Pinedale
Ranger District, the 65 acre Iron Creek Fire is burning in the Bridger
Wilderness in the Big Sandy area in Fish Creek Park. This fire affects
visitors using the Fremont Trail, which remains open as this fire burns.
The Greys River District is working on two fires, one in Roosevelt Meadows
(40 acres) and one near Virginia Peak (2 acres, contained). There are
no other fires burning in the Wind River, Gros Ventre or Wyoming mountain
ranges at this time.
(Fire
pictures below by the Bridger-Teton National Forest)
Iron
Creek Fire - 65 acres, Big Sandy area
Believed
to be a lightning holdover, this fire started south of Fish Creek Park
in the Big Sandy area on Sunday afternoon, August 26th. Contrary to the
name, it is not in Iron Creek, but rather in Fish Creek Park south of
Dad's  Lake.
It is approximately 3 miles north of Big Sandy Lodge, 5 miles from the
Summer homes, and 4 miles from Cirque of the Towers.
The fire is spotty rather than a clean burn, in a very
rocky area. The larger part of the burn is in trees to the west of the
meadow and trail, and several spots are in the trees on the east side.
Visitors are still being allowed to travel the Fremont Trail through the
fire area, but closures may be considered if the fire status changes from
what is expected.
 The
Iron Creek Fire is being managed differently from other wildfires we've
had in the area that were treated with major suppression efforts. As a
'Wildland Fire Use for Resource Benefit', this fire is being allowed to
burn to the north and actively suppressed to the south and west so it
doesn't get out of the wilderness area. Some additional personnel have
been brought in to help manage the fire, including a Fire Use Manager
and some of his support staff. These people will help take the load off
the local District people so they can be available for initial attacks
on new fires, should they appear.
This
fire started naturally by lightning in the wilderness. Due to the lateness
of the season, the decision was made to monitor the fire and allow it
to burn naturally to achieve some specific management objectives for that
area. While the Forest Service doesn't want the fire to move south or
west in a direction that might take it out of the wilderness, they are
ok with it continuing to burn north where it can have some habitat benefits.
Fire is a  natural
process and part of the cycle of the area, and allowing it to burn can
help eliminate fuels for future fires, clear up underbrush that might
be hindering wildlife movement, create new plant growth for wildlife next
year, and put nutrients back into the soil in the area.
There are probably about as many firefighters working this
fire under this management direction as would be under a complete suppression
effort. In this case, the firefighters are 'herding' the fire in a northerly
direction and using natural barriers in the terrain to act as fire breaks.
They are also actively working the fire to create a 'black line' burned
out area along the south and western areas to catch any embers that might
blow and ignite new fires south of the desired burn area. The area is
extremely rocky and almost impossible to put fire line into. Firefighters
are using natural barriers as fireline, as well as helicopter water bucket
drops to create "wet line". This fire isn't being allowed to
"let burn" any direction it wants. It is being actively suppressed
to the south and west and permitted to burn to the north under the watchful
eye of some 40 firefighters with 3 helicopters for support. There are
two, 20-man crews of firefighters here now. One is a local Bridger-Teton
NF/Park Service crew composed of Wyoming locals, and the other is a Bureau
of Indian Affairs crew from Nevada. One Type II and two Type III helicopters
also are on the fire.
The
fire hasn't actually burned into the meadow, but rather is in spotty in
the trees on either side of it. Visitors can still take the trail through
Fish Creek Park, but will see smoke  and
helicopters taking buckets of water out of Divide Lake and making drops
on the fire as they pass through. The fire is about 3 miles up the trail
from the trailhead. This is a great opportunity for the public to see
fire playing its natural role in the area by being allowed to burn for
resource benefits. The Forest Service hopes to keep the trail and area
open as long as possible, as long as the fire stays within their management
objectives. People entering the area should be aware that even though
the trail is open while the fire burns, there is always the possibility
of something happening that may quickly change the fire status, and they
should take steps to ensure their own safety. Enter the area at your own
risk, and keep a close eye on the fire's behavior in relation to your
position. The Forest Service can't 100% guarantee your safety, but under
the current conditions, the fire is behaving as they hoped and predicted.
If
you'd prefer not to see smoke or the firefighting efforts, you can take
either the Boulder Lake or Big Sandy trail out of the Big Sandy trailhead.
Neither trail has fire activity and smoke is minimal.
The Forest Service has set up 3 small fire camps in
the wilderness area near the fire in an effort to minimize impacts on
the ground from the camp. A helibase has been set up in Irish Canyon.
The camps are being managed to have minimal impact on the ground as possible.
Supplies are being packed in by Big Sandy Lodge and all garbage is being
packed out. There is great concern for protecting the black bears that
live in the area and not get them habituated to human food or rewards
due to the presence of the fire camp which might result in creating a
problem bear that needs to be destroyed.
Big Sandy Lodge has been fantastic in helping the Forest
Service by feeding firefighters, packing in supplies, and packing out
refuse. In addition to all this, they are also fully operational and open
to the public. They still are doing all their usual activities with their
guests such as pack trips into the wilderness and day horseback rides.
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Earlier
Updates:
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
Click for
larger map
3-D
aerial photo of Iron Creek Fire area in Fish Creek Park. (8/31/01)
click for
larger map
3-D
topo map showing Iron Creek fire location area. (8/31/01)
click for
larger map
3-D
topo showing broader view of Big Sandy area, wilderness boundary, and
Iron Creek fire location. (8/31/01)
Maps
by Pinedale Online!
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Other
Fires
Roosevelt Fire - 40 acres, Roosevelt Meadows, Greys River District
Started
Sunday, August 26th. Located one mile west of Roosevelt Meadows and four
miles, northeast of Deadman Mountain in Greys River District. Containment
of the fire was declared at 8:00 pm the evening of August 30th.
Boulder
Fire - 100% Contained, near Boulder Lake
Fire
crews are making regular patrols of the Boulder Fire to make sure it isn't
flaring up.
The
Green Knoll Fire near Wilson is 100% Contained and Controlled,
but is still putting up some smoke as it burns vegetation within the fire
perimeter. Crews are closely monitoring this fire which probably won't
be completely out until the snow flies.
The Bear
Cub Fire, located in the Teton Wilderness, is estimated at thirty
acres. It is located six miles north of Brooks Lake and one and one half
miles east of Cub Creek and Cave Creek Trail intersection. Twenty firefighters
and a Type I Sky-Crane helicopter are still working this fire.
The Falcon
Fire has shown slow growth over the past few days, and was accurately
mapped at less than 2800 acres. The fire has moved west of Falcon Creek
but will eventually run into previously burned areas from 1988. This fire
is being managed in cooperation with Yellowstone National Park. Six firefighters
are staffed at the Hawk's Rest and Thorofare Cabin Patrol Cabins for structural
protection.
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