JACKSON, Wyo. — Fire crews have made progress on the eastern flank of the Willow Creek Fire near Smoot, successfully completing 12% containment as of Tuesday, Aug. 26. The blaze is being fought by 151 personnel.
In a fire update from the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) and the Nevada type 3 incident management team, it is noted that all containment is currently on the eastern side, where defense operations were highly effective. The teams identified potential points to drop crews in preparation for the arrival of more resources.
The Tuesday morning update stated that the fire remains at 3,820 acres, though BTNF spokeswoman Mary Cernicek told Buckrail that if an overnight mapping flight occurred last night, the numbers might not yet be updated. Lincoln County projects the fire at 4,356 acres. The BTNF update included an “expected containment date” of Sept. 5.
The Dollar Lake Fire has increased to 13,449 acres and is still 0% contained, according to a separate fire update from Tuesday. The community meeting in Pinedale regarding the fire will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Sublette County Public Library. BTNF will broadcast the meeting on Facebook Live, and it will also be broadcast on KPIN 101.1 FM radio.
Crews fighting the Dollar Lake Fire have constructed dozer lines and conducted other operations to protect the Red Cliff Bible Camp. They cleaned up hot spots in the interior of the fire, as well as along the fire line. Today’s operations look to continue cleaning up problem areas and building more containment lines.
The forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday calls for afternoon showers and thunderstorms, per the two fire updates. However, fire suppression efforts could see only minimal benefit.
“While rainfall is generally seen as a welcome development, it’s important to note that in dense forests the canopy formed by mature trees can act as a natural umbrella and intercept much of the precipitation before it reaches the forest floor,” the Willow Creek update reads. “As a result, rainfall may not sufficiently moisten surface fuels like dry leaves, downed trees and underbrush.”
The evacuation zones for the two fires have not changed since Monday evening. View the Willow Creek Fire evacuation map here. View the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for Dollar Lake Fire evacuation updates. Keep an eye on fire activity on InciWeb.
