Blazes ominous sign of above average fire season

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

By Lucille Rice

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Three fires scorched more than 1,200 acres of national park and forest land over the past week, underscoring the hot, dry conditions that have ignited concerns of an unusually fiery summer.

The largest fire in the area, in Horse Creek about 40 miles south of Jackson in the Wyoming Range, has exhausted the resources and skills of local teams and led to national fire fighting crews being called in. The Nylander Creek fires, also in the Bridger-Teton National Forest southwest of Jackson, and the Uhl Hill fire in Grand Teton National Park, are much smaller.

None of the fires are suspected to have been caused by humans.

The Horse Creek Fire started at 3 p.m. on June 21, approximately eight miles west of Merna, Wyo., off Horse Creek Road. Although fire officials reported slow growth of the fire on Saturday, with 776 acres burned at the time, windy weather and low humidity on Monday created a headache for firefighters on and off the scene, with the risk of spotting, when spurts of fire breach the fire line, and the risk of firefighters’ escape routes becoming enflamed.

Horse Creek was thus restricted to fire personnel on Monday, having grown to 1,200 acres, and local firefighters solicited the help of Merrill Saleen’s Type 2 Incident Management Team, which assumed control over the fire and the 242-personnel team combating its flames. On Monday, national level teams were called to the scene, according to BTNP Public Affairs Officer Mary Cernicek.

The Nylander Creek Fire, burning 25 miles west of Daniel in Sublette County, was reported to officials on Saturday and contained to 4 acres on Monday, with an expected extinguish date soon.

Investigations are underway to determine the causes of the Horse Creek and Nylander Creek fires. Human causes are not suspected but neither have they been  ruled out.
The Uhl Fire was discovered three miles southeast of Moran Junction after fire officials and hikers reported smoke near Enyon Ridge in the Elk Ranch area of the Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. On Monday, the fire had burned 4 acres and was reported to have been 40 percent contained with high hopes of extinguishing the flames before the end of the week.

Lightning from a storm on the weekend of June16-17 is the suspected culprit of the Uhl Fire. Lightning can strike a tree down and ignite flames which go out but remain smoldering, taking several days of wind and dry, hot weather to ignite dry vegetation at ground level, GTNP Public Affairs Officer Jackie Skaggs explained.

Monday’s fire-favorable conditions led interagency fire managers to elevate the fire danger rating to “high” from last week’s “moderate.” Fire danger ratings are based on several factors, including moisture content of various fuel types (i.e., trees, vegetation, ground cover), current and expected weather trends, available firefighting resources and local fire activity, all of which are playing in favor of fires and against firefighters.
The weather forecast does not include any precipitation in the near future.

These recent fires and conditions typical to late summer seem to be a foreboding sign that this year will be no better than the last. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, which tracks fires across the nation and provides vital help to regional fire personnel, the 2006 fire season was above normal in all geographic areas nationwide with the exception of Alaska and the Eastern geographic area. Record-setting statistics tallied 96,385 fires reported nationwide and 9,873,429 acres burned. The 2006 season was 125 percent above the 10-year average.

“The low snow pack during the 2006-2007 winter and the early melt combined with little or no rain in May or June has contributed to the persistent drought and early drying and curing of vegetation, creating ripe conditions for fire easily caused by lightning or human activity,” said Skaggs.

The NIFC’s National Wildland Fire Outlook heightens concerns with a prediction of above-normal fire potential in the Eastern Great Basin, which includes Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest.

The combination of such predictions and fire-favorable conditions should encourage those that play outdoors to strictly follow fire safety rules and remember that, while the Fourth of July is fast approaching, fireworks are never permitted in either the park or on the forest.

For more information on fires, visit www.nifc.gov or www.tetonfires.com.

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Blazes ominous sign of above average fire season | Planet JH News Article: General Environment

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