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Yellowstone National Park officials report the East Entrance Road remains closed today. Feller crews on the East Fire continue to make good progress clearing the hazardous trees and snags along the roadway. It is likely the road will remain closed all day again today. Options are being considered for a full or partial road opening as soon as possible. Visitors approaching the park through Cody, Wyoming are reminded that an alternate route into the park from Cody is the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY Route 296) through the Northeast Entrance. No other roads are currently impacted by fire, and all facilities in the park are open. Smoke from several fires in and around the park can at times affect visibility. Smoke conditions are dependent on location, weather, and fire behavior.
Following is information on active Yellowstone fires:
Tyson Fire: This fire remains at 150 acres, and is 80% contained. The fire is located on fairly steep slopes in the Beaverdam Creek drainage east of the Southeast Arm of Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone Park crews have been suppressing the fire using minimum impact management tactics. Line construction supported with portable pumps with hose lays and helicopter bucket drops have held this fire over the last several days. Yellowstone firefighters with helicopter support will continue to work toward full containment.
Union Fire: Located between the Bechler area and Pitchstone Plateau in a very remote location, this fire was mapped at close to 768 acres yesterday. The fire continues to spread to the east/northeast, with short range spotting. The fire is being managed in a confinement strategy due to its remote nature and lack of good safety zones. It will continue to be monitored from the air.
Green Pond Fire: This fire is located on a butte close to the north boundary of the park near the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Firefighters will return to this fire today and continue mop-up operations.
Rathbone Fire: This 75-acre fire, started by lightning in the Gallatin National Forest just outside the west boundary of the park, burned into the park yesterday. The Gallatin National Forest took suppression action yesterday with tankers, helicopters, and 3 handcrews.
Backcountry trails currently closed due to fire activity include the Turbid Lake, Jones Pass, Ninemile, Avalanche Peak, Pelican Valley to Mist Pass, Pitchstone Plateau, Bighorn, and Union Falls Trails. Visitors using the backcountry are encouraged to call the backcountry office at (307) 344-2160 for specific trail closure information and other possible restrictions.
Today's weather forecast calls for partly cloudy with isolated showers or thunderstorms. High temperatures will be from 69 - 74 degrees, with relative humidity at 32-36 percent. Winds will be out of the southeast at 10 mph in the morning becoming southwest 20-mph winds in the afternoon. Ridge top winds will start out at 15 mph from the southeast in the morning, increasing to 25 mph out of the southwest in the afternoon. The extended forecast calls for partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms, highs in the mid 70s, and lows in the 40s.
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 significant 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. With few exceptions, the park is in full suppression mode because of observed extreme fire behavior, very dry fuels, and limited fire fighting resources.
Additional fire restrictions went into effect on August 16. No wood or charcoal fires will be allowed at any of the frontcountry areas. This includes the use of fire grates, charcoal grills, fire pans, and any other ember-producing equipment in all campgrounds, picnic areas, parking areas, and employee housing. Additionally, no smoking is allowed in the frontcountry except within buildings where smoking is normally permitted, in vehicles, or designated smoking areas-provided an ashtray is used. Other restrictions implemented July 17 prohibit any backcountry wood or charcoal fires, and smoking is restricted to the immediate vicinity of the cooking area in designated backcountry sites only.
For a recorded message of updated fire information, call: 307-344-2580. For fire maps and other fire information, visit the park's web site at: http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/index.htm.
East and Grizzly Fires: The current size estimate of the two fires combined is about 20,500 acres. A Type 2 incident management team has responsibility for the East and Grizzly Fires. For information on these two fires, contact fire information for the East Fire Incident Management Team, (307) 242-9115.
There have been a total of 67 fires during the 2003 fire season - 7 human caused and 60 lightning caused. No new fires started yesterday.
Information provided by the NPS
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