Smoke visible from new fire in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley
by Yellowstone National Park
September 3, 2009
Lightning strikes from a weekend thunderstorm started four small fires in Yellowstone National Park.
While three fires remain confined to single trees, the one in the park’s Lamar Valley has grown to nearly 40 acres.
The Butte Fire is near the summit of Druid Peak, which is east of the Buffalo Ranch along the Northeast Entrance Road, about 16 miles southwest of Cooke City, Montana.
The fire is producing a smoke column visible for several miles. It can also be seen from the Mt. Washburn web cam:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/tours/livecams/mtwashburn/index.htm.
No roads, campgrounds, or trails are closed because of this fire. It poses no threat to visitors.
Yellowstone National Park is a fire-adapted ecosystem. Fire plays an important role in maintaining the health of this area’s wildlife and vegetation.
Public and firefighter safety is always the park’s first concern and priority. Firefighters are monitoring the fire and developing management strategies.
Most fires occurring in the Greater Yellowstone Area are caused by lightning. When possible, these fires are managed to protect people and property, enhance the area’s natural resources where appropriate, and effectively use available firefighting resources.
This is the 15th fire reported in Yellowstone National Park this summer. Thirteen of the fifteen have been caused by lightning. This is the first fire to grow beyond one-half acre in size.
The fire danger in Yellowstone National Park is "moderate". The weather forecast calls for mostly sunny skies , daytime highs in the 70s with a chance of isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms for the next several days.
Updates on the Butte Fire will be posted to the web at http://inciweb.org/. Recorded information on the Butte Fire will also be available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2580.
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