After nearly two weeks of work in rugged terrain, crews have almost contained the 880-acre lightning-caused Kinky Creek Fire in one of the most remote corners of Teton County.
Firefighters traversed steep hills in the Bridger-Teton National Forest while facing strong winds and thunderstorms to bring containment to 86% by the morning of July 7.
On Friday, evacuation warnings for the Darwin Ranch and nearby private land were downgraded.
Ranch owner Oliver Klingenstein said he was grateful for crews who helped douse and save a small structure on part of his land that was burdened.
He declined to be quoted, citing a desire to keep attention on the work of firefighters, but said fire is a healthy part of the ecosystem. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
A warm winter contributed to early days of fire behavior being “extreme,” said Nolin Page, incident command with the Bureau of Land Management out of Boise, Idaho, working with the forest service.
“That’s to be expected with the early melt with the snowpack for this year.” Page said.
Drought conditions also contributed to the largest ever May fire on the Bridger-Teton. But Kinky Creek’s size was typical for June, according to forest fire managers.
Since 2005, the Bridger-Teton National Forest has had three larger fires, said forest spokesperson C.J. Adams in an email. The biggest was the Fontenelle Fire, which spread to 65,000 acres and began June 24, 2012.
Western Wyoming is not alone in concerns over hot, dry conditions. Although, leaders say the state is better poised this year than last to fight fires thanks to legislative investment in suppression and prevention.
In Southern Colorado, crews are battling what has become the seventh largest wildfire on record in the U.S. Thousands of people remain evacuated as the Aspen Acres fire surpassed 90,000 acres over the weekend.
In Teton County, Kinky Creek Fire suppression was aided by a late June cold snap that brought rain and summer snow. The fire is burning in some heavy timber, a fuel type that takes a while to burn out unlike grasses, for example. Crews from across federal agencies continue “mop up” suppression efforts.
“It’s just a slow process now,” Page said.
Current fire danger in Teton County is ranked as “high.” So far in 2026, 38 campfires have been found unattended in the Teton Interagency Fire area that includes Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge.
