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Yellowstone National Park officials report minimal fire activity during the early portion of the season. However, with recent lightning strikes occurring in and around the park and continuing warm weather, fire activity has increased. No new fire starts were reported on July 20. Following is information on each of Yellowstone's wildland fires:
Fan Fire: This lightning-caused fire is located in the northwest section of the park in 1988 burn. As of July 17, this fire was converted to a suppression fire. On July 20, a flight detected a small hot spot in the middle of the fire that poses no threat to escape the fireline. This fire is 3 acres and will be checked routinely before it is declared out.
Amethyst Fire: This lightning-caused fire is located in the northeast section of the park near Amethyst Mountain and Specimen Ridge and was reported by the Mt. Washburn lookout on July 15. This fire is being suppressed due to dry conditions and the potential of spread. Several handcrews continue to line the fire and catch spot fires. Helicopter bucket drops will be continued as needed. The Specimen Ridge Trail is closed from the junction with the Agate Creek Trail to the Lamar River due to the fire. The fire is 298 acres and is 45% contained.
Bison Fire: This lightning-caused fire was located in the northeast section of the park west of Elk Tongue near Bison Peak about one-quarter mile from the park's north boundary. It probably started on July 15 and was detected on July 16. Because of dry conditions, the decision was made to suppress this fire. The fire was one-half acre and was declared out following a flight on Sunday, July 20.
Pumice Fire: This lightning-caused fire is located approximately 2 miles north of Pumice Point on the west side of Yellowstone Lake and was reported at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 18. Suppression activity was immediately taken with a helicopter doing bucket drops. Smokejumpers from West Yellowstone were called in and are continuing working on getting a line around the fire. This fire was declared contained at 7 p.m. on July 20. It is 4 acres in size.
Arnica Fire: This lightning-caused fire is located near Arnica Creek on the west side of Yellowstone Lake. It was reported on Saturday, July 19 by the Mt. Sheridan lookout. A Yellowstone helitack crew did initial attack on this fire, aided by helicopter bucket water drops. It was declared contained at the end of shift of July 19 and park staff will continue to monitor. This fire was 0.1 acre.
Today's weather forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies throughout the day. Temperatures will be around 79 to 82 degrees, with relative humidity around 20 to 26 percent. Winds are expected to be 5-10 mph out of the northwest, with ridge top winds out of the northwest at 10 mph. Generally hot and dry weather conditions are predicted in the long term forecast.
There have been a total of 9 fires during the 2003 fire season-3 human-caused and 6 lightning-caused.
Fire restrictions went into effect on July 18. Under the restrictions, the following are prohibited:
1) backcountry campfires - lighting, building, maintaining, attending or using a campfire, wood fire, charcoal fire or open fire is prohibited in the backcountry;
2) smoking - smoking is only permitted within an enclosed vehicle or building (unless otherwise prohibited), a developed campground site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials (i.e. parking lots, campsite cooking areas or if surrounded by water). In developed areas in the park, fires are only allowed in designated fire rings at developed campgrounds. Fires fueled by liquid fuel and LPG fuel are permitted only if used in self-contained appliances.
Baker's Hole Fire: This human-caused fire started approximately 6 miles north of West Yellowstone, east of Highway 191 on the Gallatin National Forest on July 5, and burned to the northeast into Yellowstone National Park. The 506-acre fire was controlled on July 11 and continues to be monitored by Gallatin National Forest crews. This fire was flown on July 20 - no heat or smoke was detected.
Yellowstone Fire Management policy requires that all human-caused fires be suppressed but that natural fires be allowed to burn as long as they do not threaten people, property or resource values. Before any wildland fire is allowed to burn, however, it must be carefully evaluated and meet an inventory of pre-established criteria (including current and forecasted weather and wind conditions, fuel moisture levels, site location data, and sufficient resources). If all criteria are not met on a daily basis, the fire must be reassessed to determine whether it will still be allowed to burn or if it must be immediately suppressed. With the current dry conditions in the park and the lack of any new moisture, each new fire start is being carefully evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the appropriate management action will be to suppress or allow new fire starts to burn.
Information provided by the NPS
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