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Yellowstone National Park officials report the East Entrance Road remains open at this time. Visitors are cautioned that at any time the road could close again if fire or smoke conditions make it unsafe for travel. No other park fires are near roads or buildings, and all facilities in the park remain open. A Type II incident management team has arrived, and will be setting up a fire camp in the Fishing Bridge area today. There was one new fire start reported yesterday.
Following is information on Yellowstone's wildland fires:
East Fire: This fire has grown to approximately 2,930 acres. Yesterday's spread was mostly to the northwest, with the west flank also very active with some torching. Efforts today will again be focused on using helicopter bucket drops to check the spread along the ridge on the south flank and along the park/national forest boundary on the east side. Fire spreading to the south toward the road is a continuing possibility, which could result in the closure of the East Entrance Road. Two backcountry trails are closed due to the fire?the Turbid Lake trail and the Jones Pass trail.
Grizzly Fire: A crew of 17 and an assigned helicopter will aggressively suppress this fire again today. The fire has shown little growth in the past few days, but has been spotting to the east. Progress was made yesterday on a line around the fire as well as establishing some hose lays.
Tyson Fire: This is a new fire reported yesterday. It is 5 - 10 acres in size, located in the Beaverdam Creek drainage east of the Southeast Arm of Yellowstone Lake. Growth was checked yesterday evening with bucket drops from a heavy helicopter and the efforts of 8 smokejumpers. 7 Yellowstone firefighters, 8 smokejumpers and a helicopter will continue to work this fire today.
Many of the recent smaller fires were flown yesterday using an infrared heat detector. Because of this patrol flight, we are now able to declare several of those fires out. Others in controlled status will continue to be monitored over the next few days.
If all criteria are not met on a daily basis, the fire must be reassessed to determine whether it will still be allowed to burn or if it must be immediately suppressed. With the current dry conditions in the park and the lack of significant moisture, each new fire start is being carefully evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the appropriate management action will be to suppress or allow new fire starts to burn.
Today's weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy conditions with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. High temperatures will be around 80 - 85 degrees, with relative humidity lower at 17 - 20 percent. Winds are expected to be up-slope at 7 - 12 mph with ridge top winds out of the south in the morning at 5 mph, shifting to the east in the afternoon. The long term forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, and highs in the upper 70s and lower
80s.
There have been a total of 54 fires during the 2003 fire season - 6 human caused and 48 lightning caused.
Fire restrictions went into effect on July 18. Under the restrictions, the following are prohibited: 1) backcountry campfires - lighting, building, maintaining, attending or using a campfire, wood fire, charcoal fire or open fire is prohibited in the backcountry; and 2) smoking - smoking is only permitted within an enclosed vehicle or building (unless otherwise prohibited), a developed campground site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable
materials (i.e. parking lots, campsite cooking areas or if surrounded by water). In developed areas in the park, fires are only allowed in designated fire rings at developed campgrounds. Fires fueled by liquid fuel and LPG fuel are permitted only if used in self-contained appliances.
For a recorded message of updated fire information, call: 307-344-2580. For fire maps and other fire information, visit the park's web site at: http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/index.htm.
The East Fire and Grizzly Fire are now being called the Grizzly-East Complex, and a Type II team will be assuming management of these fires beginning at 7:00 pm today.
Yellowstone Fire Management policy requires that all human-caused fires be suppressed but that natural fires be allowed to burn as long as they do not threaten people, property or resource values. Before any wildland fire is allowed to burn, however, it must be carefully evaluated and meet an inventory of pre-established criteria (including current and forecasted weather and wind conditions, fuel moisture levels, site location data, and sufficient resources).
Information provided by the NPS
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