Light snow only eases fire activity

Posted 10/6/09

“The Arnica Fire is still smoldering,” said Al Nash park spokesman on Monday.

Although some parts of the region have seen significant snowfall recently, the area of the fire, southwest of Yellowstone Lake Village, has not.

The fire …

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Light snow only eases fire activity

Posted

Yellowstone road reopensHeavy snow has practically snuffed out the Bearpaw Fire, but two other fires, Arnica and Castle fires continue to burn, albeit unhurriedly.The Arnica Fire, in Yellowstone National Park, is listed at around 10,700 acres, but the road from Bridge Bay to West Thumb is open to travel now.

“The Arnica Fire is still smoldering,” said Al Nash park spokesman on Monday.

Although some parts of the region have seen significant snowfall recently, the area of the fire, southwest of Yellowstone Lake Village, has not.

The fire is receiving light snow, but not much, Nash said.

“It's going to require significantly more precipitation before we're going to declare it out,” Nash said.

About 8 inches of snow fell on the Bearpaw Fire northeast of North Jenny Lake Junction in Teton National Park Monday morning.

“We haven't called it out, yet,” said Traci Weaver, fire communication and education in Teton National Park Monday of the Bearpaw Fire.

However, the snowfall has halted its progress.

“(It's) hard for it to get up and run when it has this much moisture on it.”

The Spalding Bay Road likely will remained closed for the next few days until crews remove snags, Weaver said.

The fire was at 2,844 acres and may have grown a bit, though not much, Weaver said.

The forecast calls for more snow today (Tuesday), but that is expected to end by Wednesday. However, temperatures will remain in the 40s for the next few days, Weaver said.

Castle Fire still going

The Castle Fire continues to simmer at 350 to 375 acres in the Crow Creek drainage northwest of Pahaska and just east of Yellowstone National Park.

Folks waking in Powell Monday morning might conclude that the fire was smothered by heavy, wet snow. Not the case on the North Fork.

“Lucky if we got an inch,” said Clint Dawson, zone fire manager for Shoshone National Forest.

It was an up-slope storm, hitting the eastern front of the Absaroka Range, he said.

“(The fire) is just smoldering and creeping beneath the canopy,” said Dawson.

The Crow Creek trail is open, and there are no closures, he said.

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