Antelope Fire Update 9/24/2010 10:30 am

Date: September 24, 2010
Contact: Al Nash, 307-344-2015

Yellowstone National Park Fire Update

September 24, 2010 10:30 a.m.

ANTELOPE FIRE

Reported:       Tuesday afternoon, September 14, 2010

Location:        Southeast of Tower Fall and west of the Yellowstone River

Cause:            Lightning

Current Size:      Approximately 3048 acres – 30 percent contained

Overview: The Antelope Fire was discovered Tuesday afternoon,

September 14th near the Mount Washburn Fire Lookout. A lightning

strike started the fire in an area of sage and grass on the northeast

slope of Mount Washburn, between Antelope Creek and the Yellowstone

River. The fire has spread through an area burned in the 1988 North

Fork Fire, where the fuels include lodgepole pine, tall dry grass and

abundant downed logs.

Thursday’s Activities: There was very minimal fire activity, with the

exception of a pocket of lodgepole regeneration located in the far

southeast corner. Very little burning continues in the fire’s

interior. Helicopter bucket drops were used to cool the south flank

of the fire, followed by small burnouts to contain its spread.  By

Thursday evening, only the southeast corner of the fire was actively

burning.

The road between the Tower Fall Store and Chittenden Road (Mt.

Washburn Lookout road) is still closed due to morning and evening

smoke inversions and the safety of firefighters working in the area.

The Tower Store will close for the season at 12:00 noon today, Friday

September 24.

Friday’s Weather Forecast:  As the weekend approaches, warmer and

drier weather will move into the area, with highs in the 60’s during

the day and lows in the 30s at night.  Winds from the west will pick

up in the afternoons, averaging 15 mph.

Friday’s Strategies: Fire crews and helicopters will be working to

contain the southeast corner of the fire.  The remaining perimeter is

unlikely to show activity, but monitors and lookouts will be in place

during the burn period. Objectives call for full containment in the

next few days, utilizing minimum impact techniques such as wetting

down only the areas that are still smoking after the fire has burned

out along a natural barrier.

Park Impacts: Grand Loop Road between the Tower Falls Store and

Chittenden Road (the Mt. Washburn Lookout road) will remain closed to

visitors until further notice. No park entrances are closed. No

lodging, campgrounds, or other visitor facilities are closed.

The Antelope fire is helping Yellowstone National Park achieve its

fire and resource management goals. Yellowstone National Park is a

fire adapted ecosystem, and fire plays an important role in

maintaining the health of the area’s wildlife habitat and vegetation.

The Antelope Fire is being managed both to protect people and property

and to enhance the area’s natural resources by safely and effectively

using available firefighting resources. It is the largest of the 11

fires that have occurred in Yellowstone this year. The Antelope fire

has also provided a new fuels buffer that will increase the

defensibility of the Tower developments in the event of future fires

in the Mount Washburn area.

Updated Information: Updated road information is available 24 hours a

day by calling 307-344-2117. When actively burning, smoke from the

fire is visible along a large section of the Northeast Entrance road,

and several locations in the park. It can also be viewed on the Mt.

Washburn Fire Lookout Web Cam at

http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm. Fire updates are

available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2580, or on the web at

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2128/.