JACKSON, Wyo. — When the call came in just after 4 p.m. Sunday, July 18, Fire Chief Brady Hansen knew he had to cancel his plans.
A small brush fire had broken out on Snow King Mountain, just uphill from the Mountain Coaster and near the town cemetery border.
“I went onto [the webcam] See JH and could see the smoke,” Hansen said.
Not long after, more than 15 units were on-site working to contain the fire, Hansen said. It was a multi-unit response that included all six of Jackson Hole Fire/EMS’s units, Teton Village, National Park and Forest Service units, and a helicopter.
The fire’s location made it a high risk, so Fire/EMS sent “everybody,” Hansen said. “If the first crew doesn’t catch it, it’s off to the races.”
But the first crew did catch it, and the coordinated response was able to contain the fire to a quarter of an acre. Hansen said he’s “very proud” of the swift response.
The fire department is still running some tests to determine what caused the fire to spark, Hansen said.
The Snow King fire was just one piece of an already busy weekend, Hansen said. Crews had already responded to a dumpster fire, an electrical fire, and a series of other calls.
“It’s going to be a long fire season,” Hansen said.
