(Fremont County, WY) – Pack Trail Fire behavior has moderated recently, although moisture levels were lower than expected. As temperatures rise and winds increase throughout the week, grasses and fine fuels will likely dry out, potentially leading to heightened fire activity.
The fire continues to smolder on the southern edge, with flames reaching heights of 2-5 feet in drier areas. Firefighters are actively cooling hot spots, repairing culverts, and cleaning roadsides, while crews on the west flank are working to connect containment lines in challenging terrain. The east side teams are focused on monitoring and improving containment lines, using UTVs to prevent road damage.
Despite some precipitation, fire managers have maintained a Very High Fire Danger Rating for the surrounding regions, emphasizing that recent rain was not sufficient to end the fire season. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise extreme caution with fire sources and to never leave campfires unattended. Travelers should be aware of potential fire vehicle activity and check for road closures, particularly on US-26. Additionally, the Union Pass Road is closed in certain areas, and a forest closure order is in effect until mid-November. For ongoing updates and alerts, the public is encouraged to consult local emergency management resources.
The fire saw greatly moderated fire behavior today, however, there was not as much moisture as anticipated. As the week warms up and becomes windy, grasses and fine fuels will dry out again causing fire activity to increase. On the southern edge, the fire continues to smolder and slowly creep through thick duff and in some areas where there was not much moisture, grasses burned with flame lengths of 2-5 feet. Firefighters cooled down areas of heat to secure the fire line. Crews continue to put out hotspots, repair culverts, and clean up slash from the roadsides. On the west flank, crews patrolled the Bacon Creek area and are working to connect containment lines in rugged terrain above Elk Track Ranch. On the east side, crews continue to backhaul equipment, monitor, hold, improve containment lines. Crews who have UTV’s will access deeper into the fire’s footprint to help prevent deep ruts on the roads from heavy trucks.
Despite the recent precipitation, Teton Interagency Fire Managers are maintaining the Very High Fire Danger Rating for Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Shoshone National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge. This precipitation was not a fire season ending event. Due to wind, fuels will begin to rapidly dry out when the snow melts. Any spark can ignite fire which can grow rapidly into a major incident. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise extreme caution with fires or other possible ignition sources. Never leave your campfire unattended, even for a moment. Always ensure someone is watching it or extinguish it completely before leaving. Drown the fire with water, stir the ashes, and feel with the back of your hand to confirm it is cool.
Please use caution while driving these areas, especially on narrow secondary roads. Always expect to encounter fire vehicles and heavy equipment in and around the fire area. Check with WY-DOT for possible closures due to fire activity, especially if you are planning to travel on US-26 across the Continental Divide. Closures are not expected, but with active fire in the area checking status before travel is recommended.
“If you fly, we can’t.” Remember that flying a personal drone over a fire area during a temporary flight restriction is illegal and can be an extremely dangerous threat to both our aviators and firefighters on the ground.
Today will be sunny and temperature will be 42-56 degrees with a minimum relative humidity’s between 23% – 37%. Winds from the northeast will be 4-8 MPH with gusts up to 15. Warmer and drier weather will return over the week. To learn more about air quality, visit Fire.AirNow.Gov.
Lava Mountain Lodge, Roaring River Subdivision, Buckboard Subdivision, Double Bar J Ranch, Lava Creek Ranch, Triangle C Ranch, Pelham Lake, Sheridan Creek Camp Areas, Old Mackenzie Ranch, Upper Gros Ventre, Darwin Ranch have been reduced to Level 2 “Set” status. Brooks Lake Lodge, Pinnacle, Breccia, and Long Creek, and Dunior areas have been reduced to a Level 2 “Ready” status. Union Pass subdivision remains in a Level 2 “Set” status. See the Fremont County Emergency Management Facebook Page for alerts and updates. See the Teton County Emergency Management website updates and to sign up for emergency alerts through Everbridge.
The Union Pass Road is closed on the Pinedale Ranger District (BTNF) from Mosquito Lake to the Moon Lake Road on the Wind River District (SHO). Moon Lake Road is also closed.
Forest Closures – Closure Order #04-03-24-317 is in effect from October 14, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. through November 15, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. unless rescinded. This order supersedes previous orders, including #04-03-24-316, prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same described area.
For more information, visit: Facebook: USDA Forest Service – Bridger-Teton National Forest, USDA Forest Service – Shoshone National Forest Pack Trail Inciweb.