Overview: The
cooler temperatures and increased humidity that accompanied scattered thunderstorms
in the park on Monday, resulted in another day of moderated fire behavior. Pockets
of clear skies allowed fire managers to conduct an infrared flight in the early
hours of Monday morning which showed minimal spread by the Alum and Druid fires
over the past week. The total fire acreage for the complex is
approximately 11,671 acres.Weather
conditions allowed fire managers to fly the fires again on Monday afternoon; all
were producing some smoke with the exception of the Passage Fire. The forecast
for Tuesday includes more scattered thunderstorms.
There
remains a chance for the weather to turn hotter and drier in the coming weeks,
which could lead to an increase in fire activity. Firefighters continue to
develop indirect firelines and implement structure protection measures as part
of preparations to protect valuable resources and structures in the park.
Crews
have begun collecting fuel moisture samples, which are a measure of the amount
of water found in vegetation in the forest, to help determine how the fires
might behave in the coming weeks. The fires will likely continue to play their
part in the natural processes of maintaining the unique ecosystems found in
Yellowstone into the fall.
Alum Fire: The Alum Fire (pronounced
AL-umm, not ah-LUM)
is located in the heart of the park, just west of the section of the Grand Loop
Road between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge. The fire continues to be
visible from the road and from Mud Volcano as it works its way slowly east towards
the Grand Loop Road. Firefighters and the public were able to see occasional
torching - when fire runs up a single tree or group of trees.
Despite
several consecutive days of cloud cover and rain, the northeast and southern edges
of the fire continue to retain heat. It was fairly active today and produced
smoke that was visible behind Mud Volcano. There is no imminent threat that
the fire will cross the Grand Loop Road, and the road remains open, but travelers may encounter light
smoke on the road. As of Monday afternoon, approximately 200 yards remained
between the edge of the fire and the road. Public Information Officers will
be available at Mud Volcano on Tuesday to help share information about the
fire’s activity and answer questions.
While LeHardy
Rapids, and several picnic areas and pullouts, as well as some backcountry trails
in the area remain closed, other popular trails in the area remain open
including Pelican Creek Nature Trail, Natural Bridge, Lake Village to
Bridge Bay Trail, and the Lake Lodge Meadows Trail.
Skidders
will continue to work on Tuesday to transport trees and other debris that were
removed to create a fuel break between the fire and the Lake government housing
area. Three to four loads a day are being hauled to a stacking area south of
Bridge Bay. Visitors should be aware of increased truck traffic on the section
of Grand Loop Road south of the housing area. Work continued to widen the contingency line northwest
of Bridge Bay, scraping away ground fuels and linking several meadows together,
forming an indirect line to stop potential spread southward.
Druid Fire: The Druid Fire is located high
above the Northeast Entrance road on the north side of Druid Peak. The fire
remained fairly quiet on Monday with only a little heat and smoke on the
northern edge where it continues to back slowly downslope towards the Rose
Creek drainage area.
The Remote Access Weather
Station (RAWS) system will be installed Tuesday to help fire managers monitor
weather in the fire area. This information will assist crews as they continue
to scout for potential places to hold the fire if it becomes more active and moves
east toward Grand Loop Road and Pebble Creek Campground. A remote camera was placed in the fire area to allow
for safer, remote monitoring.
Impacts to visitors and area
residents: All
roads leading into and through the park and all visitor services including
campgrounds, lodging, stores and visitor services in the park are open. Impacts
from smoke have been minimal and will continue to be as long as the weather
remains cool. All visitors are encouraged to check for updates often as road closures
may be needed based on daily fire activity. Updated park road information is
available 24-hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.
Additional information can be
found on the web at:
Recorded Fire
Information Line 307-344-2580
Email us at
Yellowstone.fire.info@gmail.com
Follow us on
Twitter @YellowstoneNPS
Find us on
Facebook at YellowstoneNPS
###
For a PDF version of this update click HERE
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