Warm Weather Expected To Restart Yellowstone Fire Growth This Weekend

Fire activity in Yellowstone was next to nil yesterday, but the forecast calls for more favorable fire weather this weekend.

According to a Yellowstone press release, after a “weak” cold front this afternoon, breezy and warm weather will prevail as crews continue to fight fires in the Park.

A fire meeting is scheduled for tonight at the LDS Church, 245 Faithful Street, West Yellowstone, MT at 7:30 p.m.

We do have one change in acreage to report. Yesterday, we reported Jasper Fire had grown to one acre. Crews now report the fire is in fact one tenth of an acre in size. Below are the acreages of the other active fires as they stand right now:

• Maple Fire: 41,136 acres.
• Buffalo Fire: 10,787 acres.
• Fawn Fire: 2,684 acres.
• Central Fire: 1,350 acres.

Today, crews will start burn operations on Maple Fire east of the Madison River—to remove unburned fuel from both Maple Fire and future conflagrations and prevent Maple’s spread toward West Yellowstone. As such, air quality will dip around both Duck Creek and West Yellowstone. See the full forecast below:

Bakers Hole, along the Madison River, will be closed as crews conduct burn operations. There are no other closures to report at this time. Yesterday, we reported several trails had reopened, including Harlequin Lake and Purple Mountain, due to decreased activity form Maple Fire.

The Mount Holmes, Grizzly Lake, Winter Creek, and Trilobite Lake trails are also open, but their trailheads are currently inaccessible due to road constriction. For information on how to access these trails, please call the Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160.

Crews continue to work on Buffalo Fire, especially on the east side in the Slough Creek area. Crews will also be removing dead trees along the Buffalo Fork and Soldier’s trail. From time to time, you can see the Buffalo Fire from the Mount Washburn Fire Lookout – Northeast Webcam.

Fawn, Central and Jasper Fires are unstaffed at this time but continue to be monitored from the air. You can see the Central Fire sometimes on the Mount Washburn Fire Lookout – South Webcam.

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. Seasonal closures started earlier this week, with most happening around Tower/Roosevelt.