JACKSON, Wyo. — The Fish Creek Fire, burning in a remote area seven miles southwest of Togwotee Pass in the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF), grew rapidly over the weekend and has now surpassed 2,000 acres.
BTNF reported Saturday, Aug. 17 that the fire covered five acres, a figure that grew to 1,731 acres Sunday, Aug. 18 and had reached 2,250 acres by Monday, Aug. 19. The wildfire is burning in the Jackson Ranger District in the North Fork Fish Creek drainage. The lightning-caused blaze was first spotted Friday, Aug. 16.
The fire is emitting a massive cloud of smoke that’s visible from both sides of the Gros Ventre mountains. The plume can be seen from Grand Teton National Park, the Continental Divide Trail, Moran, Dubois, Jackson and Pinedale.
The forest called in a Wyoming Type 3 Incident Management Team to help combat the blaze after its own resources were exhausted. The forest will brief the team on the incident on the evening of Monday, Aug. 19, according to BTNF, and the team will take over control from the forest the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 20. BTNF has also ordered in a helicopter, a helitack crew, six fire engines and medical personnel to help fight the wildfire, according to its Facebook page.
Smoke from the Fish Creek Fire could impact travel on US 26/287 in the evenings, BTNF warns. Drivers in the area should drive slowly, turn their headlights on and use caution.
Due to the fire, path and road closures are in effect at North Fork Fish Creek, Hardscrabble Creek and Moccasin Basin areas, according to a BTNF spokesperson.
BTNF is currently fighting three other large wildfires in its bounds: the 10-acre Cottonwood Creek Fire, discovered Saturday, Aug. 17 in the Sohare Creek area about six miles southwest of the Fish Creek Fire; the Leeds Creek Fire, a 780-acre blaze that has been burning in the Pinedale Ranger District since Aug. 1 and is 70% contained; and the Merna Butte Fire, a 153-acre blaze in Sublette County in the Big Piney Ranger District that was 50% contained as of Sunday, Aug. 18.
The temporary road closure that had been in effect around the Merna Butte Fire has been lifted, BTNF reported Sunday. Residents and visitors in the area had been warned to be ready to evacuate, but that that alert is no longer in effect.
“Firefighters continue to work along the perimeter of the [Merna Butte] fire ‘mopping up,’ which means they are finding hot spots in the burn and extinguishing them so that the fire remains contained in the existing footprint,” BTNF said Sunday.
The forest reminds visitors that fire danger is “High,” meaning that fuels can ignite quickly and fire can spread rapidly. People are urged not to leave campfires unattended and to make sure they are fully extinguished before leaving them.
