The latest on wildfires around western Montana.
Last Update 5:55 p.m. 08/11/16
There are now three fires burning in Yellowstone National Park.
The Pocket Fire is the latest to spark up. It was reported yesterday afternoon 5 miles south southeast of Old Faithful. A helicopter and three firefighters immediately hopped on suppression efforts yesterday. Today, three additional firefighters were added to the crew. It is currently less than an acre.
The lightning-caused Fawn Fire, west of Fawn Pass, started last Thursday. It is now at 930 acres. Four campsites are closed as a result of that fire.
The Maple Fire, started Monday, is 8 miles northeast of the park’s west boundary. It is burning on 10 acres.
Both have trail closures associated with them.
The Roaring Lion Fire, burning southwest of Hamilton, transitioned to a smaller Type three Incident Management Team last night. That fire is now 65 percent contained.
The American Red Cross is hosting a disaster resource center in Hamilton tomorrow from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The center will be at 1285 North 1st Street.
Update: 10:58 a.m. 08/11/16
Crews fighting the 8,274 acre Roaring Lion Fire outside of Hamilton are officially under the Type 3 Incident Management team of Drew Daily. The transition was completed by 6:00 p.m. last night. As of today, the new Incident Command Post will be located on the West Side Road between Roaring Lion Creek and Sawtooth Creek at the site of the Roaring Lion Fire helibase.
Residents whose property has been impacted by the fire are invited to visit the disaster resource center hosted by the American Red Cross on Friday from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. The center will be located at 1285 North 1st Street in Hamilton. Caseworkers will be available to help people navigate insurance paperwork and make recovery plans. For more information contact Steve Davis at 703-505-9302. To donate to The Salvation Army distribution center, call 406-210-1453.
The fire is at 65 percent containment, up from 60 percent yesterday. There are now 299 people working on containment, with special attention paid to mopping up hot spots on the perimeter near the Judd Creek and Whispering Pines areas. The contingency line from the southern flank to the Observation Fire burn area has been completed.
The cool and damp weather that has been consistent over the past few days is expected to give way to dry heat over the weekend. Increased fire activity is expected.
In Yellowstone National Park, the Fawn Fire has reached 930 acres and is located west of Fawn Pass, 11 miles west of Mammoth Hot Springs, 16 miles northeast of West Yellowstone, 13 miles southwest of Gardiner, and 35 miles southeast of Big Sky. It was caused by lightning on August 4th.
Closed campsites include WB1, WB3, WB4 and WB6. The trails that are currently closed include Bighorn Pass trail eastbound at the junction of the cut-off trail to the Fawn Pass trail, Bighorn Pass trail westbound at Bighorn Pass, Fawn Pass trail eastbound at the junction of the cut-off trail to the Big Horn Pass trail, and the Fawn Pass trail westbound at campsite 1F2. The cut-off trail between Bighorn and Fawn Pass trails is open.
The Maple Fire in Yellowstone is 10 acres and located 1 mile east of the Gneiss Creek trail, 3 miles north of the Cougar Creek cabin, 6 miles east of the Park's west boundary, and 8 miles northeast of the community of West Yellowstone.
The only trails that are closed in relation to the Maple Fire include Gneiss Creek trail southbound at campsite WA1, and Gneiss Creek trail northbound at the spur trail junction to the Cougar patrol cabin. Both the WA1 campsite and the spur trail out to the Cougar patrol cabin remain open.
