Single Publication

Merna, Wyo., June 13, 2025— The Horse Fire was reported on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest on Friday June 13, 2025. The Horse Fire is approximately 40-acres and burning in heavy timber and slash, or dead fallen woody debris and branches. The lightning caused fire is located roughly 10-miles west of Merna, WY and 10 miles north of McDougal Gap and 2-miles west of Prospect Peak in Sublette County, Wyoming. A Type 3 Incident Management Organization has been ordered to suppress the fire. 

A Type 3 Incident Management Organization is a multi-agency organization of firefighting specialists that manage incidents of moderate complexity that require more resources and a longer operational period than the local forest can handle. The organization will be staffed with some of the critical fire management positions and should arrive around the evening of June 14, 2025 with 10-20 trained personnel.

Additionally, an order was placed for two Type 1 helicopters to help suppress the Horse Fire. A Type 1 helicopter is one of the larger helicopter that can carry 700 gallons of water.  

Currently the Horse Fire is staffed with a Type 3 helicopter, 5 smoke jumpers, 3 fire engines and 3 crews.  The firefighters will work on the fire through the night. Visitors in the area should use caution as there is smoke and firefighting equipment moving along the roads. 

Smoke is visible from the McDougal Gap and Merna areas. Please do not report. There are no closures associated with the fire. Fire danger rating for the Forest is "low”. A "low" fire danger rating doesn’t mean there is no fire danger. Fuels, like dry grasses and wood, will not easily ignite from small sparks, but more intense heat sources like lightning could still start fires.

For more information visit the Inciweb page at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/wybtf-horse-fire or the Bridger-Teton Facebook page or follow us on X. 

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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