Fire season heating up as smoke haze fills the valley
11 fire starts in all, Pacific Creek Fire still burning
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Fire season is in full swing as evidenced by heightened alert statuses, early season restrictions, and a haze of smoke settling in the valley as winds picked up yesterday.
Teton Interagency Fire reports 11 fire starts so far in 2021. All have been small in scale and all but one has been put out.
The Pacific Creek Fire was discovered yesterday by a local outfitter horseback riding in the area. He saw a small column of smoke rising and reported the fire.
Firefighters determined the fire had a low spread potential and, because the fire is located within the Teton Wilderness, will implement a suppression strategy by way of Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST). MIST requires a minimum amount of forces and actions necessary to effectively achieve the fire management protection objectives consistent with land and resource management objectives as prescribed for the Teton Wilderness.
The fire is currently at .10 acre. It is believed to be lightning-caused.
Humans are to blame for five of the 11 fire starts, ranging from an illegal and abandoned fear along the shore of Bear Paw, to another unattended campfire just southwest of the Gros Ventre CG group loop. Campers there extinguished the blaze using adjacent river water after several tress had burned
To date, 103 unattended or abandoned campfires have been discovered in the region.
County response
On July 6, the Teton County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a partial fire restriction ban in Teton County by resolution.
“This means different things depending on whether you live in the town of Jackson or in the county,” said Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Fire Marshal Kathy Clay.
Only under very specific conditions are open fires allowed in the town of Jackson at any time of the year and must be inspected and approved by the fire department.
In Teton County, all pile burning is now banned until restrictions are lifted. Homeowners in the county are allowed to have a wood fire only if clearances to combustibles are met and a mesh screen with holes no greater than 1/4 inch is over the fire while the fire is burning. Fires must be extinguished by dark to prevent the unnecessary response from the fire department.
“This is not the summer to take risks,” said Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Chief Brady Hansen. “If you love the ambiance of a fire, consider an outdoor gas fireplace, which does not throw hot embers into the area. We need to be very careful with all ignitions sources as we enter this very dry summer.”
If stewardship isn’t enough motivation, fines and penalties might be.
“Homeowners are reminded that the burden of responsibility could be significant if their fire gets out of control,” Clay noted. “The resolution notes a $100 fine, however, should fire spread to neighboring properties or federal lands, the fine could be much more significant.”
All fireworks are banned at all times of the year in the town of Jackson and Teton County.
