Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
The Buffalo (Tatanka) Complex continues to grow as crews work to contain the Boundary Fire.
And just a reminder: The National Park Service will be holding a public meeting in West Yellowstone tomorrow, August 22, where officials will answer questions from the community regarding Yellowstone’s fire situation.
According to a Yellowstone press release, crews have approximately 75 percent of the Boundary Fire contained. The fire still measures 192 acres. Further, command of the Boundary Fire crew has been assigned to Incident Commander Jeff Barnes, who will assume leadership 6 a.m. Monday morning, August 22 with his “type four organization.” Right now crews patrolling near “islands” of unburned fuel and working to extinguish hot spots and remove trees as necessary.
Currently, the Buffalo Complex comprises three fires: Fawn, Maple, and Buffalo. It previously included Thumb and Grayling 2 Fires, but both have been contained and suppressed. According to a Yellowstone press release, Maple Fire has grown to 16,125 acres, Buffalo Fire to 2,213 acres, and Fawn Fire to 1,124 acres.
The entire region is under a Red Flag warning this afternoon and evening; the forecast calls for strong, gusty SW winds, lower humidity, and temperatures around 80-85 degrees. These conditions will likely impact the Maple Fire the most.
Stage 1 fire restrictions are still in place for Yellowstone National Park. In spite of the Red Flag warning, and Maple’s creep south, the West Entrance Road is still open. NPS officials are cautioning drivers, urging them to slow down and use their headlights as necessary.
Currently, all Park roads and visitor facilities, both NPS- and concessionaire-operated, are open.
