Jim Creek Community Meeting
Mark Randall (right) answers a question about the Jim Creek Fire at a community meeting held at The Place in the Upper Green River Valley on Sunday. USFS photo.
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Jim Creek Fire: 1,750 acres
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
July 24, 2006
Fire Update for Monday, July 24, 2006:
Status: 1,750 acres. There are 91 fire personnel assigned to the fire.
The Jim Creek fire began on June 26 from lightning, 24 miles north of Pinedale, Wyoming, in the Bridger Wilderness. The fire is burning in an area where such natural fires are permissible, both in and out of the
wilderness.
Recent Events: Fire observers saw individual trees and groups of trees torching as the fire backed down into Jim and Gypsum creeks. The hottest part of the fire, drawing the attention of firefighters amounts to about 30
acres. Much of the rest of the fire has cooled off and isn't smoking.
Observers found a 4-acre spot fire off the fire's southwest corner. Under the long-term management plan for the fire, action is being taken on the northwest corner of the fire to slow its spread west toward private land.
Helicopters have been dropping water on hot spots there since Friday. Seventy-five people attended a community meeting in the Upper Green River Valley to learn more about the fire.
Management Strategy: A 20-person fire crew from Boise went to work on the fire Sunday, joining a local crew cooling the northwest corner of the fire. On Sunday afternoon, a 20-person "hot shot" crew from Zigzag, Oregon (Mt. Hood National Forest) arrived and began work along Gypsum Creek. The long-range fire plan said the creek is a trigger point for additional steps to slow the fire's spread northwest and west. The hotshot crew will prepare the area for a variety of firefighting options in the coming days including burnouts and line building. The preparation work includes removing brush and dead logs.
A fire camp is set up at the Kendall Guard Station. The Jim Creek drainage is closed starting at the Forest Road 710.
"This fire is burning in high elevation subalpine fir stands which will directly benefit bighorn sheep by opening the area up. Sheep prefer open areas allowing them visibility to spot potential predators," said Nick Scribner, Pinedale Habitat Biologist for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
Closures: The Jim Creek drainage is closed starting at Forest Road 710.
For more fire information, call 307-367-5713, or stop by the Pinedale Ranger District office of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Related Links for more information:
Jim Creek Fire
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