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Gunbarrel Fire burns 2,100 acres
By Carole Cloudwalker
This document was published online on Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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| The Gunbarrel Fire on the Shoshone Forest approached a melting snowfield Tuesday in this southerly view into the Goff and Gunbarrel creek drainages. Officials say the reddish-colored dead trees will ignite despite the moisture. (Courtesy photo) |
Tuesday and Wednesday were “red flag” days on the Gunbarrel Fire burning in the North Absaroka Wilderness of the Shoshone Forest.
That means red flag weather warnings were posted both days for the vicinity of the North Fork blaze 40 miles west of Cody and 2.5 miles north of the North Fork Highway between Goff and Gunbarrel creeks.
“Wednesday is going to be a smoky day,” cautioned Olga Troxel, fire information officer for the Shoshone.
Troxel said the red flag warnings that have been posted since Tuesday mean weather should be hot, dry and windy - conditions that will move the fire.
Hopefully it will continue to move to the northeast, taking the blaze deeper into wilderness and farther from structures, Troxel said.
The fire was no closer than 2-3 miles from buildings.
Just in case, one team specializing in management of fires that burn over a long period of time was in place Wednesday and another, a 20-person Wyoming Hotshot crew from Greybull, is expected to arrive Thursday,
The teams will be used to evaluate fire conditions and work with property owners as a contingency plan is drawn up. The plan would be implemented in the “unlikely” event winds shift and the fire turns toward the Yellowstone highway, Troxel said.
The Gunbarrel Fire had charred 2,100 acres by Wednesday morning, close to doubling from Tuesday's estimated 1,200 burned acres, Troxel added. It remains in beetle-killed timber, however.
“Most fire growth was to the northeast, about midway up Monument Peak,” she said.
While the Shoshone is not actively battling the wilderness fire, which is considered a wildland blaze burning for beneficial use, it is being managed and monitored with daily flights to track its progress.
“The fire is doing some good resource work, burning out bug-killed timber,” Troxel said.
Forest officials will focus on contingency plans, possibly setting up sprinklers at some lodges - Troxel was unsure which ones until a fire briefing later in the day.
“This is going to be a long-term fire,” she said, adding that Cody area residents can expect to see and smell smoke for some time as large tracts of dead trees ignite.
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