As Wildfire Today reported yesterday, the Antelope fire in Yellowstone National Park has jumped the Yellowstone River, a major drainage on the east side of the fire. Here is a link to the latest map on Yellowstone’s web site, dated September 21. The web cam on Mt. Washburn has an excellent view of the fire.
The MODIS satellite map below shows heat detected (below the Highway 212 marker) at 4:27 a.m. MT on September 29. The fire appears to be well established across the Yellowstone River. Click on the map to see a larger version.
The weather forecast for the fire area through October 3 calls for lots of sun with high temperatures in the low 70′s, RH around 20%, and moderate breezes out of the west and south. There’s no chance of rain until October 4 when the forecast predicts a 35% chance. Winds 0n the 4th will be 16 mph out of the southwest, with gusts up to 24.
Here is an excerpt from news release by the National Park Service, at 10 a.m. on September 29 in which they said the estimated size is 3,200 acres:
Wednesday’s Strategies:
A Type 2 helicopter and additional firefighting resources are being called in to augment the Type 3 helicopter, 5 engines, and 30 firefighters currently assigned to the Antelope Fire. They will focus their efforts Wednesday on assessing the fire’s growth potential, and on structure protection needs at Canyon Village, Tower/Roosevelt, and the Buffalo Ranch.
Park Impacts:
The Antelope Fire poses no threat to park visitors or area residents. No roads, lodging, campgrounds, or other visitor services are closed due to the fire. Many visitor facilities have closed for the season, or are scheduled to close for the season in the next few days. All park entrances remain open. The Specimen Ridge Trail, the Agate Creek Trail, and backcountry campsite 2Y1 are temporarily closed due to the fire.
