JACKSON, Wyo. — The Fish Creek Fire has been expanding at breakneck speed in the four days since it was first spotted, reaching 3,207 acres by Tuesday morning.
The lightning-caused fire was discovered on Friday, Aug. 16 in the north fork of Fish Creek about seven miles southwest of Togwotee Pass in the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF). It was first reported to be five acres, a figure that had jumped to 2,250 Monday before increasing by another 1,000 acres by Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Firefighting efforts were turned over to a Type 3 Incident Management Team at 6 a.m. Tuesday after BTNF’s resources were exhausted. As of Tuesday afternoon there were 71 personnel fighting the fire, according to BTNF spokesperson Ranae Pape.
“Crews are utilizing a containment strategy, utilizing open drainages, previous fire burn scars and natural features for barriers,” BTNF said in a statement. “Fire managers and crews continue to scout potential control line locations and protect resources.”
The fire is burning in heavy timber, litter and standing dead trees. Winds are currently pushing the fire to the northwest of its bounds, according to Pape. However, the area is forecast to see thunderstorms that could produce wind gusts that are hard to predict and could potentially blow the fire in other directions.
“We encourage people to drive with their headlights or fog lights and really encourage folks to slow down and use caution,” Pape told Buckrail. This means using headlights even in the daytime in case of unexpected smoke on the road, she said.
Road and trail closures are in effect for Moccasin Basin Road up to its intersection with Forest Road 30800, all of Forest Road 30800 and portions of the Cottonwood Creek Trail, Spruce Creek Trail, Moccasin Basin trail and Red Creek Trail. Signage is in place indicating closed areas and areas where visitors should use caution.
