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Current Fire Information:
Cloudy
weather and numerous small cells of thunderstorms producing sometimes
very heavy rain helped fire fighters in their activities by dampening
the momentum of the fire. It also hindered somewhat by making roads a
muddy mess and creating slippery conditions on the ground for hand crews.
Minimal smoke was visible today from the fire area. By afternoon, the
fire is called 50% contained. Crews are still attacking hot spots and
actively concentrating on the spot fires on the northeastern edge of the
fire. Safety is a primary concern on this fire. Crews are hoping to take
advantage of the wetter conditions which have slowed the fire movement
to get a handle on the spots to the northeast which are the most dangerous
if things dry out and the fire gets going again. Homes are located to
the east on Beaver Ridge and in the Beaver Valley, as well as in the Hoback
Rances area to the north. No structures are currently threatened by
this fire.
The primary concern now is for fire fighter and public
safety. Crews are only working during daylight hours due to the extreme
danger from falling snags. One fire fighter has already been killed this
year in the US from a falling snag. Slippery conditions from the recent
rain also is making footing treacherous. Access to the fire is now also
a challenge due to slippery, muddy dirt roads. The local roads have never
been so well marked with each blind corner posted with a makeshift warning
& speed sign, badger holes marked with bright orange flagging tape,
and culvert crossings marked with stakes and bright orange flagging ribbon.
All this is essential with so many new people in the area who aren't familiar
with our rural roads and who don't know the location of the local 'hazards'
we dodge on a regular basis driving the roads. Locals know how slick the
sections of dirt road in the red clay can get when wet.
This is a good time in our report to once again thank
all the dedicated fire fighters who travel from place to place helping
put out wild fires and living in tent camps with minimal conveniences.
To the families of the fire fighters who may be reading this, they are
doing a fantastic job, and so far no serious injuries. The area they are
working in has great elk and deer hunting, and in the winter it is one
of our premier snowmobiling areas. The David
Ranch, located just a couple of miles to the east, is a working cattle
ranch that brings guests in for cattle drive vacations and a real cowboy
experience. In the summer, the cattle they work for local ranchers (ie.
Barney Ranch) are pastured in
the forest where this fire is burning. According to Melvin David, so far
their operations have not been affected by the fire, but they are watching
it very closely. There are also several very nice rural subdivisions within
just a few miles of this fire. Beaver Ridge has many nice homes and Aspen
Ridge is a new subdivision. Hoback
Ranches homes are to the north just over the ridge in the Hoback drainage.
The Forest Service is posting several updates a day about the status of
this fire, and others on the BT-NF, and these are a great way to keep
up to date on what is going on with fires in our area: Bridger-Teton
National Forest fire press releases
Resources currently working the Mule Fire include twelve
20-person hand crews, four ten-person camp crews, three helicopters, four
dozers, fourteen wildland engines and a type II National
Incident Management Team. All large airtankers remain grounded in response
to Thursday's air tanker crash near Denver, Colorado which killed the
two crew members on board.
The road block at the Merna Junction remains in effect
with Sublette County Sheriff's Officers manning the block. Only fire fighting
personnel and local residents are being allowed through. The block also
applies to the road leading to Beaver Ridge and Beaver drainage which
takes off to the north at this same junction. The area closure for North
and South Beaver, Dry Beaver, Lead and Horse Creek drainages and all associated
access routes remains in effect. This special closure was implemented
to preserve firefighter and public safety and will be reviewed daily for
applicability. The Mule Fire is located approximately 20 miles west of
Daniel with its eastern edge six miles west of the Sherman Guard Station.
It is one mile north of Prospect Peak and approximately one mile south
of Horse Mountain on the Big Piney Ranger District. The fire base is located
on the Cottonwood/Ryegrass road. Fire
Perimeter Map
Fire
restrictions are now in effect on the Bridger-Teton National Forest and
in Grand Teton National Park. The fire danger is Very High. Daily Forest
Service press release updates for this fire are available from the Bridger-Teton
National Forest fire page. For more information, contact the Bridger-Teton
National Forest at (307) 739-5500 or call the new toll-free information
hot line numbers.
Other
area fires:
Lightning-caused fires have also sprung up in Yellowstone National Park
and Grand Teton National Park. The Teton Fires web site also has interagency
fire information links for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton
National Park and Yellowstone National Park, www.tetonfires.com.
The public is encouraged to report any new smoke columns they see. You
can keep up with where the fires are burning by checking in on the National
Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Large
Fire update page and Fire
Map.
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