Owl Fire Now Over 1,000 Acres
Incident: Owl Wildland Fire
Released: 7/24/2007
Winds from a thunderstorm on Monday afternoon caused the Owl Fire to triple in size.
The Owl Fire grew from 300 acres to an estimated 1,200 acres in a matter of hours. The fire has crossed Specimen Creek and continues to grow directly to the north.
Firefighters were able to resume helicopter bucket drops on the fire today.
The Owl Fire is burning in the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, away from roads and developed areas. The lightning-caused fire was discovered on Friday, burning in a mature lodgepole pine and spruce/fir forest east of U.S. 191, north of the Montana/Wyoming state line.
Yellowstone National Park staff met with members of Tony Wilder's Type II Interagency Incident Management Team this afternoon. This team of experienced fire managers will take over the Owl Fire tomorrow morning. They are establishing an Incident Command Post at the Rainbow Point Campground, north of the town of West Yellowstone on U.S. Highway 191.
This change allows Yellowstone staff to focus on any new fires that start in the park. That includes management of a new fire burning in the backcountry near the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake. Aerial reconnaissance allowed firefighters to estimate the Beaver Dam Fire at 540 acres in size today. This wilderness fire produced a large smoke column visible for several miles. The fire received some rain this afternoon which led to reduced fire behavior.
Some trails and backcountry campsites near the Owl Fire are temporarily closed. There are no closures in the area of the Beaver Dam Fire. Details are available by calling the Backcountry Office at (307) 344-2160 during business hours.
Both the Owl Fire and the Beaver Dam Fire are burning in the backcountry away from developed areas and roads. All visitor services, park entrances and roads are open.
There have been twelve fires in Yellowstone National Park this year. Four have been caused by people; eight were started by lightning. Fire restrictions have been in effect in the park since July 3.
Recorded information on the Owl Fire is available 24-hours-a-day by calling (307) 344-2580, or on the web at http://inciweb.org/incident/855/.
-www.nps.gov/yell -
