(UPDATED at 11:25 a.m. MDT August 5, 2016)
The Whit Fire 13 miles west of Cody, Wyoming was much less active Thursday than the day before. According to the aerial mapping during the last two nights it grew on the southwest and northeast sides by a total of several hundred acres, but the incident management team is still calling it 9,647 acres. The discrepancy could be related to issues with the imagery Wednesday night.
One home and seven outbuildings have been destroyed in the fire.
On Thursday two water-scooping air tankers, CL-415’s, were delighting tourists that were on US Highway 16 driving past the Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the way to Yellowstone National Park. The aircraft were skimming along the water surface loading about 1,600 gallons into their tanks and then flying to the fire, assisting firefighters by dropping water to slow the spread. The reservoir is only six miles from the fire, which enabled quick turnarounds.
At times the vehicles stopped on or near the roadway created a safety hazard. Kristie Salzmann, a spokesperson for the fire, said law enforcement is now actively discouraging that practice. There are other locations that can be used safely, including various locations in the state park, and the boat launch which is closed since no boaters are allowed on the lake while the scoopers are working. The same aircraft are expected to be assigned to the fire on Friday.
Todd Pechota’s Type 1 incident management team assumed command of the fire at 6 a.m. on Friday.
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(Originally published at 9:52 a.m. MDT August 4, 2016)
The Whit Fire 13 miles west of Cody, Wyoming has forced evacuations south of US Highway 14 in the rural area near Buffalo Bill Reservoir 28 air miles east of the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The fire was reported at 2:20 p.m. on August 2 and grew rapidly on Wednesday August 3 on both sides of Sheep Mountain. Fire managers were not able to accurately estimate the size of the blaze, reporting Wednesday evening that it had burned 3,000 acres, but a mapping flight at 10 p.m. determined that it had spread to 9,647 acres.
The strategy is to fully suppress the fire. Resources assigned include 5 type 1 helicopters, 2 Type 3 helicopters, 3 air attack planes, 18 engines, and 3 hand crews, for a total of approximately 175 personnel.
A Type 1 incident management team led by Todd Pechota is due to report to the fire at noon today.
The weather forecast for the fire area on Thursday predicts a high of 79 degrees, relative humidity of 17 percent, and 10 to 14 mph east winds gusting to 20 mph. Friday should be about the same except the wind will be variable at 3 to 11 mph.
As of Thursday morning August 4, US Highway 14 between Cody and Yellowstone National Park is open. Current status of highways in Wyoming can be checked at the Wyoming Department of Transportation website.
#WhitFire pic.twitter.com/SDd6CIU1Ck
— DEpperle (@DEpperle44) August 4, 2016
#WhitFire pic.twitter.com/tJjsx6UfE2
— DEpperle (@DEpperle44) August 4, 2016
Smoke very visible from #whitfire and the #cliffcreekfire this afternoon via satellite pic.twitter.com/78GCdVOzrs
— Chip Redmond (@wx_chip) August 3, 2016
Bill, that picture and your article reminds me somewhat of this… lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2nSRHbaEH0&feature=youtu.be
Unlike your article, though, the quality isn’t quite as good… 🙂
The fire as a long ways east of the Blackwater Memorial. It is only about 14 miles West of Cody. Not in the Forest. It is up the South Fork as well as up the North Fork. We are some of the ones that evacuated up the South Fork.
Bill,
Would this fire be East of where the Blackwater Fire occurred?
Chris-
The 1937 Blackwater Fire that killed 15 firefighters was much closer to Yellowstone National Park.