By Jeannette Boner
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via- Wyoming News Exchange
JACKSON — With winds gusting up to 60 mph over the weekend, at least 60 people were ordered to evacuate in areas east of Togwotee Pass as the Pack Trail Fire consumed more than 10,000 acres in a 24-hour period.
A handful of people used the American Red Cross evacuation shelter at the Warm Valley Lodge assisted living center in Dubois, Fremont County Emergency Management Coordinator Milan Vinich said Monday. He said others went to stay with family or friends, and cattle in the evacuation zone were moved to safer grazing areas.
The Pack Trail Fire, which started in mid-September, was aided by perfect fire conditions this past weekend, including high winds, warm temperatures and low humidity.
As of Monday afternoon, the fire had grown to more than 19,600 acres. It is located in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Jackson Ranger District and is 3 miles south of the Fish Creek Fire.
“That’s pretty big for Wyoming,” Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Battalion Chief Matt Redwine said, noting the speed at which the fire grew over the weekend. “That’s a damn big fire for what we’re used to in Wyoming and it’s got everyone’s attention.”
The Fish Creek Fire is 25,000 acres and 85% contained. The Pack Trail Fire is not contained. A fire weather watch has been extended southeast toward Lander.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” for much of the area as temperatures keep fire danger high.
Both the Fish Creek and Pack Trail fires were caused by lightning. According to satellite imagery, the Pack Trail Fire is more active and burning hotter than the Fish Creek Fire.
Early attempts to tamp the Pack Trail Fire down with air resources and water drops had no effect, Jackson District Ranger Todd Stiles said in a news release Sunday.
Jackson Hole Fire/EMS crews, along with Sublette County, Fremont County — including the Dubois Volunteer Fire Department — and Teton County, Idaho, firefighters were dispatched Sunday evening to monitor the fire while a new complex incident management team was ordered to assist the U.S. Forest Service.
“The fire is in remote terrain with very difficult access,” Stiles said. “Tree density and heavy dead and snag tree components make it very dangerous to put firefighters on the ground,” he said.
Vinich said the fire slowed considerably on Monday as winds had died down. Aerial fire suppression was more successful on Monday, he said.
As of Monday evening, a “Set” evacuation alert (be ready to go at a moment’s notice) was in place for the entrance of Brooks Lake Road, Falls Campground, Roaming River Subdivision, Buckboard Subdivision, Double Bar J Ranch, Lava Creek Ranch, Long Creek Ranch, Paintbrush and Carriage Drive and Union Pass and Absaroka Ranch Road.
A “Be Ready” alert was in place for the Bourbon Subdivision, which means be prepared for a potential evacuation.
