Editors Note: On Wednesday, August 7, firefighters shared that the Leeds Creek Fire is a smaller size than originally reported (approximately 845 acres) after completing aerial GPS mapping of the fire’s perimeter.
JACKSON, Wyo. — As of 11:15 a.m. on Monday, August 5, the U.S. Forest Service announced that fire crews are continuing to use direct and indirect firefighting strategies to suppress the Leeds Creek Fire on the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF), after the fire grew substantially over the weekend.
The Leeds Creek Fire is currently 1,230 acres in size with 13% containment, and is burning in mixed conifer, areas of logging slash and heavy dead and down fuels approximately 18 miles southwest of Dubois, according to a BTNF Facebook post.
The fire was reported at 10:47 a.m. on Thursday, August 1, by Forest Service staff who spotted smoke from the Union Pass area. The fire originally covered 100 acres on the morning of Friday, August 2. Smoke from the fire could be visible from the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), Dubois and Pinedale. Cause of the fire is unknown.
Sunday’s cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity helped to decrease fire activity and smoke. Due to predicted hotter, drier conditions over the next few days, with gusty winds of up to 40 mph, more active fire and smoke is expected to be seen in the region, according to BTNF.
Bridger-Teton fire managers and personnel are working in coordination with the Shoshone National Forest and Sublette County Unified Fire. Resources assigned to the fire include a type 3 Incident Commander (IC), a helicopter, three bulldozers to remove flammable plant material, two type two crews, eight smoke jumpers, a wildland fire module, two resource advisors, multiple fire engines and a water tender. Ninety-five personnel are currently staffing the fire.
“Crews are working to put in an additional dozer line and will reinforce those lines with burnout operations to lock up the fire’s edge and gain containment,” BTNF said via Facebook. “The Forest Service uses all available strategies and tools to suppress wildfires, and public and firefighter safety are the top priorities for fire managers.”
A pending area closure order is expected for public and firefighter safety, and the public will be notified once a closure is in place.
An InciWeb page has been established for people to keep up to date on the Leeds Creek Fire.
