Fire Location Graphics:
General Fire Location Map
Half Moon Fire Map
Triangle Fire Map

Earlier fire updates:
Wednesday, August 16, 2000
Tuesday, August 15, 2000
Monday, August 14, 2000
Sunday, August 13, 2000
Saturday, August 12, 2000

Revised Bridger-Teton fire map 8/17/00

More Bridger-Teton fire Information available at:
www.bridgertetonnationalforest.com

Fires at a Glance - Calming down here. Fires in other areas of the Forest  are still very active. Forest-wide open fire ban expected today.

Summary: The Half Moon & Triangle fires are expected to be combined today for management purposes under control of a Type II Overhead Team. The Triangle fire is burning within its perimiter within the Wilderness Area in very steep country and is not being fought. Two more 20-man crews are expected today to supplement the firefighters on the ground, bringing the total force on the fire to approximately 123, using the Sandy Beach Picnic Area on Fremont Lake as base camp. The Special Closure Order is still in effect for the Half Moon & Triangle Lakes fire areas. Only authorized firefighting personnel are allowed into the area. Visitors are being evacuated as they are encountered. A forest-wide ban on all open fires is expected to take effect today.

Closure Map - Revised 8/14/00 at 8 am
Closure Order

Half Moon Fire
(Bridger-Teton National Forest, not in Wilderness Area)
Approximately 800-1,000 acres 
Hoped to be 70% contained by tonight, holding west and north ridges, northeast and east side most active now, southeast being watched.
Location: On northeast end of Half Moon Lake on both sides of Pole Creek drainage, up to the west side of Fayette Lake, up to the Sweeny Creek Pack Trail.
Status: Two additional 20 man fire fighting crews will be arriving today to supplement the firefighters already on the ground. Efforts today are focusing on getting the perimeter mopped up and trimming out the interior so fuels burn up to minimize the risk of the fire flaring up later. 

Triangle Fire
(Within Bridger Wilderness Area, Bridger-Teton National Forest)
Approximately 200 acres
50% contained with natural barriers
Still burning fuels  mostly within fire area and hasn't grown much since yesterday.
Location: Between Long Lake/Upper Long Lake & Triangle Lake, approximately 2 miles east & 1 mile north of the head end of Fremont Lake.
Status: No firefighters on this fire at the present time. The northwest corner was the most active yesterday, trying to move towards the lake. Size did not increase much. Natural breaks are being used for containment. Fire still being monitored closely via lookouts on the grounds and helicopter fly overs. The concern is to continue to watch the fire for any spotting across  the canyons. The majority of available manpower & other resources are presently on the Half Moon fire which has a higher priority.

The big news is that the fire danger will be going to Extreme and a forest-wide open fire ban is expected to take effect sometime today or tomorrow on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Forest Service has still been finding people with campfires in dispersed areas. No campfires will be allowed on the Forest, even in campgrounds. As one anonymous person was overheard to say today, "People have to be crazy if they are building campfires right now!" The exact wording for the restriction hasn't come down yet, but basically it will mean NO OPEN FIRES on the Forest. Liquid fuel only for stoves. No briquets. FIRE DANGER IS EXTREMELY HIGH. 

While other areas of the Forest are really burning up, we are fortunate that our two fires here have settled down. The Triangle fire in the Wilderness area is mostly consuming fuels within its perimeter and is being called "50% contained with natural barriers." All manpower has been concentrating on the Half Moon fire, and have done a good job of getting it under control. Bill Williams, Incident Commander for the fires, called todays efforts as "a seek and destroy mission". Crews will be mopping up the perimiter and trimming out the interior to get rid of fuels that might burn later and cause the fire to restart.

Two more 20-man crews are expected to roll in sometime today to supplement the crews already on the ground, bringing the number of people on the fire to approximately 123. The Type II Overhead Team that came in earlier in the week will be staying on this fire until it is pretty well under control. Fire basecamp is located at the Sandy Beach Picnic Area on the south end of Fremont Lake. The beach area is still open to the public, but the picnic area is now closed to the public. Visitors are asked not to come up to the Sandy Beach area after 7:00 pm so that the firefighters are not disturbed and can get their rest. The Command Center is still based off a pontoon boat in the middle of Half Moon Lake. 

So where can we go?
This is always a busier time of year for us here tourist-wise, but now we are experiencing even more folks coming to the area due to all of the fires in Montana, Idaho and Yellowstone. The overflow from these other areas is putting even more pressure on us down here. This is creating a more than usual impact on areas that typically are more popular. Green River Lakes and the New Fork Lakes area are full. Campgrounds are maxed out at these two locations. The Forest Service is encouraging people to go to less highly used areas such as Union Pass out of the wilderness or down to the Big Sandy area. Many of the more popular areas are already overcrowded in the wilderness, so if you are coming wanting a secluded wilderness experience, you probably won't find it here right now and you might want to reconsider your plans. Go into the wilderness well aware that new fires can start at any time, and you need to plan for your own safety. "It's just a tinderbox out there." said the Forest Service. 

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the local Chamber of Commerce, people are being asked to temporarily change their plans to visit other areas that are not being so impacted by fire activity right now. The Forest Service office has approximately 100+ new folks who have descended on them with the fires and their office is doing a fantastic job of juggling everything from visitor questions to where to get the towels & shampoo for the firefighters. The phones are going absolutely nuts over there. Please, if you don't need to call, don't, unless it's important. Be patient if it takes a few rings to answer. They really do have their hands full over there. People can help a lot by just staying out of the way right now and letting them fight the fires. We'll all be having parties along with Aaron & the folks up at Half Moon Lake Resort when this is all over to give a big sigh of relief and welcome everyone back!

To date, there have not been any fire related accidents for either the Half Moon or Triangle Lakes fires. Anyone with concerns can contact the Sublette County Sheriff's office at 307-367-4376, or the Pinedale Ranger District, 307-367-4326. Hikers in the wilderness who may have cell phones and can get a signal out can call 911 and ask to be routed to the Sublette County Sheriff's office if they have concerns.

Because of all the fire activity going on, we have created a new site that has broader information about what is going on with fires on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. www.bridgertetonnationalforest.com We are working very closely with the Forest Service on the information on this site and updating it frequently.

More area fire graphics:
National Interagency Fire Center Large Wildland Fire Map
National Interagency Fire Center web site (ww.nifc.gov)