Single Publication

Pack Trail Daily Update October 15, 2024

Total Acres: 86,555

Confined: 62%

Total Personnel: 613         

CACIMT10 will transition command of the fire to Great Basin CIIMT5 at 0700 tomorrow, October 16th.

Operations – Today, shifting winds, picking up in the afternoon, will likely lead to increased fire activity. Yesterday, on the east side of the fire, ground crews secured hot spots along the 540 Road, continued cleaning up containment lines along Trout Creek.  On the South side, the Pack Trail Fire continued to slowly move into areas around Cowboy Camp, Strawberry Warming Hut, and Fish Creek Guard Station. Firefighters utilized aircraft to suppress hot spots, while mopping up, patrolling, maintaining and testing sprinkler systems set up around homes and other values at risk. The fire remains confined north of Union Pass Road. On the west flank, in the Gros Ventre River Basin, firefighters are patrolling the Burnt Ridge area and also using aircraft to slow the fire’s incursion into the valley. There has been a major effort to prepare and protect a stand of endangered White Bark Pine. The structure protection group continues wrapping buildings in protective foil, laying hose lines, and setting up sprinkler systems around additional structures. Night crews continue to patrol accessible areas of the fire and reported there was minimal fire activity in the interior and nothing that threatened the containment lines overnight. 

Safety – Teton Interagency Fire managers are maintaining the  Very High Fire Danger Rating for Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Shoshone National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge. Please use caution while driving these areas, especially on narrow secondary roads. Always expect to encounter fire vehicles and heavy equipment in and around the fire area. Check with WY-DOT for possible closures due to fire activity, especially if you are planning to travel on US-26 across the Continental Divide. Due to excessively dry fuels, any spark can ignite fire which can grow rapidly into a major incident. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise extreme caution with fires or other possible ignition sources. Always build campfires away from dry grass, leaves, and overhanging branches to reduce the risk of spreading wildfire. Clear at least a 10-foot perimeter around your fire, removing any flammable material, and have enough water on hand to ensure your fire is dead out and cool to the touch before you go to sleep or leave the area. 

Remember that flying a personal drone over a fire area during a temporary flight restriction is illegal and can be an extremely dangerous threat to both our aviators and firefighters on the ground. “If you fly, we can’t.” 

Weather – Today’s weather conditions present the potential for increased fire behavior in the afternoon as winds shift directions coming from the SW at 8-12 MPH, with gusts reaching up to 20 MPH. The forecast calls for high temps in the 60’s and relative humidity between 18% and 22%.

Smoke will be a factor in many areas surrounding the fire. To learn more about air quality, visit Fire.AirNow.Gov. 

Evacuations – Brooks Lake Lodge, Pinnacle Cabins, Falls Camp, and Long Creek have been reduced to a Level 2 “Set” Evacuation Warning. Level 3 “Go” evacuation orders remain in effect for Lava Mountain Lodge and McKenzie Highland Ranch. The Dunoir Road Corridor has been reduced to a Level 1 “Ready” Evacuation Warning. See the Fremont County Emergency Management Facebook Page for alerts and updates. See the Teton County Emergency Management website updates and to sign up for emergency alerts through Everbridge.

Road Closures – The Union Pass Road is closed on the Pinedale District (BTNF) from Mosquito Lake to the DuNoir on the Wind River District (SHO).

Forest Closures - Closure Order #04-03-24-317 is in effect from October 14, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. through November 15, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. unless rescinded. This order supersedes previous orders, including #04-03-24-316, prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same described area. 

For more information, visit: Facebook: USDA Forest Service - Bridger-Teton National Forest, USDA Forest Service - Shoshone National Forest  Pack Trail Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wybtf-pack-trail-fire