Lightning-sparked fires burning in the backcountry of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are kicking up a lot of smoke but currently are not posing a threat to visitors or front-country areas.
Yellowstone National Park Fires
The largest of the fires, the Maple Fire, has spread across more than 12,000 acres along Yellowstone's western boundary, about 8 miles north-northeast of West Yellowstone. Spotted on August 8, the fire is burning in short grass and timber "located in a 1988 burn scar with moderate to heavy lodgepole regeneration." At this point, fire bosses are keeping an eye on the fire and will react to specific threats to structures and roads if they arise.
The Fawn Fire was first spotted on August 4 and since has spread to about 1,000 acres 10 miles west-southwest of Mammoth Hot Springs.
"The fire has not been producing enough smoke to be visible from the Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner areas. However it is still burning, just at a lower intensity. Fire activity has been minimal on the Fawn Fire the past several days," officials reported.
The Buffalo Fire, ignited August 13 by a lightning strike, has burned across more than 2,000 acres some 5 miles northeast of Tower Junction. It also is burning in a scar left from the 1988 fires that swept the park, and was being monitored, not actively fought.
Grand Teton National Park Fires
The Berry Fire was set by a lightning strike on July 25, but only recently has grown significantly. As of Wednesday it was estimated at 617 acres, burning in the vicinity of Elk Ridge about 19 miles northwest of Moran. For the public's safety, the following trails have been temporarily closed:
- Glade Creek trail
- Owl-Berry Cutoff trail
- Berry Creek trail from Glade Creek to Hechtman Creek
- Owl Creek trail three miles west of Cutoff to Webb Canyon junction
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