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The Maple Fire is now a little over 27,000 acres as management responsibilities are slated to transfer to a new team.
According to Inciweb, Maple Fire now measures 27,101 acres and is burning through old growth timber and new material left by the 1988 Yellowstone fires. We previously reported that Maple Fire had grown to 22,488 acres and was creeping closer to the West Entrance Road.
Although Maple Fire is still very close to the West Entrance Road, Yellowstone officials say they don’t expect it to close the road.
At a meeting held in West Yellowstone, fire behaviorist Michael Dardis said he expects the fire to continue burning even if weather conditions improve, since it’s burning in mature timber. Fire management officer John Cataldo echoed this sentiment, but added that, as the fire moves east toward Mount Holmes, it will run into “unfavorable fuels” like scree and rock.
Over the next few days, management of the Maple Fire will transfer to a Type 2 Incident Management Team. Due to its size, it is no longer considered a part of the Tatanka (Buffalo) Complex, which currently consists of Buffalo and Fawn Fires.
According to Inciweb, Buffalo Fire has grown to 2,691 acres, owing to red flag weather conditions. Fawn Fire also grew slightly and now measures 1,804 acres.
Boundary Fire, meanwhile, is 85 percent contained as of writing and no new growth is expected.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are still in place for Yellowstone National Park. All Park roads and visitor facilities, both NPS- and concessionaire-operated, are open at this time.
