YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Four new lightning-sparked wildland fires are listed on Yellowstone National Park’s (YNP) Current Fire Activity website, which catalogues every wildland fire the park is aware of each season. Each fire is smaller than 1 acre in size.
Three fires were discovered on Monday, Aug. 18: the Osprey Fire (0.1 acres, controlled), the Mary Fire (0.5 acres, contained) and the Bow Fire (0.2 acres, active). On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Cygnet Fire (0.1 acres, active) was discovered.
Of the 28 fires on the list, which dates back to Memorial Day, 17 were caused by lightning. Nine were caused by humans, and two had unknown causes. Five fires in the park are considered active, with the largest being the Escarpment Fire at 25 acres. Ten fires are considered “controlled,” which YNP defines as a fire that has been contained with a very low probability of increasing in size. Eleven fires are totally out.
Fire danger in YNP remains “very high,” with conditions allowing fires to start easily and spread quickly. Last week, the park implemented stage 1 fire restrictions, which prohibits charcoal and wood campfires in the backcountry and on trails, including those in established fire rings, among other fire limitations.
