ANNOUNCEMENT
Road closure intermittent due to Arnica Fire
On Thursday, October 1st, the road from Bridge Bay to West Thumb will be open for visitor travel with a pilot car between 6-8 a.m., 1200-1 p.m., and 6-8 p.m., delays may be expected. Other area roads. more
Approximate Location
Incident Overview
The Arnica Fire was ignited by lightning on September 13 and detected on September 23 in the Arnica Creek area north of West Thumb and southwest of Dryad Lake in Yellowstone National Park. The fire was 4 acres on September 23, then with warm, dry, windy weather grew to 250 acres on September 24 and to 1,600 acres on September 25. With warm windy conditions continuing on September 26, the fire moved eastward and grew to 8,300 acres. The fire increased an additional 1,000 acres on September 27 but did not grow significantly on September 28. It is now estimated at 9,300 acres.
Fire personnel are managing the fire for multiple resource objectives, allowing the burn to progress naturally in areas where ecological benefits can be achieved, while using helicopters to cool portions of the fire perimeter nearest values at risk. Structure protection measures, such as clearing brush around buildings and setting up hose lays and sprinkler systems, are in progress at Bridge Bay and Lake Village.
The Grand Loop Road between Fishing Bridge Junction and West Thumb Junction is closed indefinitely due to active fire on both sides of the road and falling burned trees. Firefighters are working to remove fallen trees from the roadway, but more continue to fall as the fire actively burns in the area.
Park visitors are reminded that the Lake Village area, including the Hotel and Lodge, remains open and is accessible from the North, Northeast, and East entrances. The Old Faithful area is accessible from the South and West entrances.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Sunday September 13th, 2009 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Location | Yellowstone National Park |
| Incident Commander | Joe Krish |
Current Situation
| Size | 10,700 acres |
|---|---|
| Estimated Containment Date | Friday October 30th, 2009 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved | Lodgepole forest |
| Fire Behavior | The fire has been receiving snow Wednesday morning. |
| Significant Events | Six feller bunchers are working to remove trees that have fallen across the road between Fishing Bridge Junction and West Thumb Junction. The road will remain closed until public safety can be assured. Local access to Lake Village is still open from the North and East. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Continue structure protection around Lake Village and Bridge Bay areas. Sprinkler systems are in place and active. Continue air operations to limit fire spread towards values at risk. Remove hazard trees from roadways as safe and necessary. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | moderated due to weather change |
| Terrain Difficulty | Access is difficult in the fire area, which has large areas of unburned fuels and few safety areas in the immediate fire area. Natural Bridge Trail and Elephant Back Trail are closed to the public due to unsafe fire conditions. |
| Remarks | Resources have been demobilizing from the fire Wednesday morning. A hotshot crew is still assigned to the fire. |
