(Bridger-Teton National Forest) – The Nevada Team 2 crew has shared the August 25 update for the Willow Creek Fire in Lincoln County, south of Smoot, which indicates the fire is burning at 3,820 acres, and is at 0% containment.
The full August 25 is below, including evacuation/closure information.
TODAY’S OPERATIONS
The fire remained active yesterday evening, and firefighters conducted firing operations that provided critical suppression efforts to keep the fire west of the highway. The primary objectives for today will be to keep the fire west of Highway 89 and minimize impacts to private property, while looking for opportunities for direct fire line engagement. Crews will be conducting structure assessments and the protection preparation work around a WyoLink communications site yesterday was completed. Current personnel and equipment include a crew of smokejumpers, a twenty-person hand crew, four engines, a dozer, and multiple helicopters. Additional resources are on order.
Nevada Team 2, a Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) from Nevada led by Incident Command Brian Kitchen, arrived and assumed command of the fire as of 8:00 p.m. yesterday.
EVACUATION INFORMATION
An evacuation has been ordered in the following area: All residences from milepost 75 south (vicinity of Gomm’s Pond Lane) to Salt Pass. A shelter has been established at the National Guard Readiness Center in Afton near the High School.
Residents west of Highway 89 from Reeves-Schwab Lane South to Gomms Pond to be in “SET” stage. Please be prepared for potential evacuation should the “GO” order be given which. The Code Red notification will be initiated by Lincoln County Homeland Security & Emergency Management.
Lincoln County utilizes the READY, SET, GO! method. It’s important to be familiar with each stage; read the descriptions by visiting the Lincoln County Emergency Management’s Wildland Fire Action Guide.
Please monitor local media and follow Lincoln County Homeland Security & Emergency Management on Facebook for more updates.
Use this link to sign up to receive notifications. Note that you may need to set your iPhone or Android phone to accept calls from unknown numbers or add the numbers shown in this image to your contact list. Additionally, there is a CodeRED app for mobile devices, allowing individuals to receive notifications in other areas that also have CodeRED service.
CLOSURE ON
Highway 89 is currently still open to all traffic in both directions. Highway 89 was impacted by the fire on Saturday due to the fire behavior and impacts from smoke, along with fire suppression efforts, leading to a temporary closure of the road in that evening. Sunday morning the closure was lifted due to the fire crews actively holding the fire line on the west side of the highway.
WYDOT will continue to work closely with fire managers as fire operations continue today. Though the highway has reopened, all travelers need to be cautious of fire vehicles and equipment in the area as well as impacts from smoke. Drivers are asked to not pull over or park on the side of the road to view fire operations, which would clutter the road and pose safety hazards to emergency personnel. While all attempts will be made to keep the travel corridor open, additional temporary closures may be necessary if the fire is active near the road and poses a safety hazard to fire personnel or public vehicles. Further updates can be found on the WYDOT web page or on Wyoming 511, WYDOT’s official road condition and traffic information reporting app.
In addition, there is a Forest Closure for Grey River District and Kemmerer District. The defined boundary for area closure is as follows: from U.S. Highway 89 T29 N R 19 N Section 34 running west along the Bridger-Teton National Forest boundary (R19W R18W) to the Wyoming Idaho State line, running north along said state line to the Forest/private boundary at T 31 R 119 W section 30, following the Forest/private boundary SE to its intersection with U.S. Highway 89, running along the west edge of U.S. Highway 89 back to the point of origin. Smiths Fork Winter Trailhead is closed. Within the described area, all roads and trails are closed including Allred Flat Campground.
WEATHER FORECAST
Chances of showers and thunderstorm conditions may lead to fire growth and active fire behavior through the week, winds are expected to be light and moderate.
Incident Websites: Click here.