New fire rapidly burning in Bridger Teton National Forest

The Forest Service is asking for additional firefighting resources to control the blaze.
The Fish Creek Fire nearly doubled in size on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024 south of Togwotee Pass. (BTNF)

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Fire crews are working to extinguish a new fire in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It burned nearly 1,800 acres over the weekend.

The Fish Creek fire started by lightning on Friday, Aug.,16 about seven miles south of the Togwotee Pass highway – a major throughway for local commuters in the region. The fire is zero percent contained with the potential to worsen in the coming days due to forecasted strong thunderstorm winds. 

The Forest Service requested an incident management team and more firefighting resources have been requested as the fire has exceeded the service’s resources.

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A map shows the Fish Creek Fire as outlined on Aug. 18, 2024, along with road and trail closures and other features. (BTNF)

Smoke from the fire is visible across the region and is impacting traffic safety on Highway 26 over the Togwotee pass. The Forest Service recommends those traveling it use headlights and stick to lower speeds.

Two other fires in the area continue to burn. The Merna Butte fire near Daniel has burned 153 acres and is 50 percent contained. Sublette County has lifted its pre-evacuation notices. The Leeds Creek in the Bridger-Teton National Forest west of Dubois has burned 780 acres and is 70 percent contained.

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About Dante Filpula Ankney

Dante Filpula Ankney comes to KHOL as a lifelong resident of the Mountain West. He made his home on the Eastern Montana prairies before moving to the Western Montana peaks to study journalism and wilderness studies. Dante has found success producing award-winning print, audio and video stories for a variety of publications, including a stint as a host at Montana Public Radio. Most recently, he spent a year teaching English in Bulgaria through a Fulbright Fellowship. When he isn’t reporting, you can find Dante outside scaling rocks, sliding across snow or winning a game of cribbage.

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