The East Gate of Yellowstone National Park is closed due to a wildfire crossing the highway that leads visitors into the park.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office posted a message on Facebook stating that the East Gate to Yellowstone National Park is CLOSED from the national forest boundary to the park entrance because of the Clearwater Fire affecting the Highway 14/16/20 corridor.
Because the fire has moved out of the Elk Fork Drainage and is established in the Highway 14 Corridor, Wyoming Highway Patrol made the determination to temporarily close the road for safety reasons.
“Those Campgrounds evacuated are Wapiti Campground and Elk Fork Campground. Pagoda summer homes have been evacuated,” states the PCSO’s Facebook post.
Fire crews from Park County Fire District 2, Bureau of Land Management, Buffalo Bill state park rangers, YNP rangers and the Park County Sheriff’s Office have been requested to provide highway and public safety.
“Highway safety is of primary concern,” says the Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier today, the Clearwater Fire reportedly had consumed over 130 acres and had zero containment. The fire was located on the ridge line between the Elk Fork and June Creek drainages, approximately one mile south of Clearwater Campground.
The location of the fire was very difficult to reach, according to the PCSO’s Facebook page, so fire crews and other personnel kept a watch on the blaze.
Last week, officials were concerned with the winds picking up as well as chances of more thunderheads that could produce lightning and ground strikes, but that weather system moved passed as of Sunday.
“The fire is burning through timber, brush and thick, dead and down fuels on steep slopes also along the ridge line with isolated torching. Near critical fire weather with a red flag warning, low humidity and gusty winds are forecasted,” so said Incident Commander Jon Warder.
Up until the fire jumped the highway near the East Gate of YNP, the goal was mitigation; or focusing on reducing fuels near lodges and summer homes in the Shoshone National Forest. Crews started fuels reduction around the structures and installation of protection equipment at the Bill Cody Ranch. Thinning and sprinkler system installation were also being installed around the Wapiti Ranger Station.
“Additionally, crews [were] constructing handline in timber stringers in Elk Fork drainage to prevent further spread to the East. A Type 1 helicopter will utilize water drops to support containment in the Elk Fork,” according to Warder.
Personnel as well as land and property owners had been engaged in identifying and recommending evacuations if needed, and suppression actions to take near structures if needed.
Risk to responders and public safety remain the highest priority for the incident management team. While the Clearwater fire has not been putting much smoke into the air, smoke from fires in Canada as well as Idaho and the Northwest have been a steady influence across the area for many days.
Use the link ‘AirNow’ to check current conditions and try to plan your outdoor activities when air quality is at a tolerable level.
More details, as they become available, will be added to this story.
