SUBLETTE COUNTY, WYO – As quickly as it began, it’s over…almost.
The Roosevelt Fire is expected to be tamped down pretty good by the end of the day with as much as ¾ inch of rain on the way.
The fire is at 61,509 with 75% containment. The Type 1 team is demobbing, down to 809 personnel. A couple of helicopters are still flying the incident just in case.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team is beginning operations today to determine what special efforts may be needed to prevent further problems after the fire. Loss of vegetation from a fire exposes soil to erosion; runoff may increase and cause flooding, and sediment may move downstream and further damage values at risk. The BEAR Team addresses these situations with the goal of mitigating dangers to reduce impacts.
With the rain coming, back haul of unneeded fire equipment, patrolling and monitoring of the fire, and mop-up of hotspots will be the focus of operations today. Containment of the fire is expected to further increase quickly.
Firefighters and fire equipment are being released from the fire today through Wednesday. A local Type 3 Incident Management Team will take command of the fire on Thursday, October 4 at 7am, with operations based in Pinedale. Tthe current Incident Command Post will close.
The Forest Service has reduced the size of the area closure. Cliff Creek Road is open, but the area to the south of the road is closed—the trail to Cliff Creek Pass and Horse Heaven Meadows is open, but the area to the east and southeast of the trail is closed. North Horse Creek Road is open for public travel, but the area north of the road is closed. Forest Service and BLM area closures are being evaluated daily.
