Scant Fire Activity In Yellowstone Ahead of Weekend

Fire activity will be minimal in Yellowstone National Park today, after a few days of cool down, but is expected to ramp up over the weekend.

According to a Yellowstone press release, air quality continues to improve or hold level. Yesterday, crews performed burn operations east of the Madison River near Maple Fire. Operations produced a large plume of smoke, which thankfully was mitigated by breezy winds and light showers. Light smoke is expected to drift into West Yellowstone and the Hebgen Lake area. However, crews say they don’t expect air quality to be negatively impacted. See the full forecast below.

A reminder: While the Mount Holmes, Grizzly Lake, Winter Creek, and Trilobite Lake trails have been reopened for the past few days, their trailheads are currently inaccessible due to road construction. For information on how to access each trail, please call the Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160.

Maple Fire posted slight gains after showing no growth over the past few days. As of writing, Maple Fire has grown to 42,000 acres, a 338-acre increase. Crews confirm the fire’s eastern side is secure and present no more danger to Madison Junction or Norris Geyser Basin.

Crews will perform burnout operations around Maple Fire east of the Madison River to keep the fire from spreading toward West Yellowstone. Said burnout operations will also ensure future fires have less to burn. Crews will also continue to patrol the fire’s edge.

To the north, Buffalo Fire grew by one acre and now measures 10,788 acres. Crews continue to monitor the fire’s east side and remove dead/downed trees along Buffalo Fork and Soldier’s trails. You can see Buffalo Fire from the Mount Washburn Fire Lookout – Northeast Webcam.

Finally, Fawn, Central, and Jasper Fires showed no signs of growth yesterday. All three remain unstaffed and continue to be monitored from the air. You can still see the Central Fire from time to time on the Mount Washburn Fire Lookout ¬– South Webcam.

All park roads and visitor facilities, both NPS- and concessionaire-operated, not affected by seasonal closures are open at this time.