It has been nearly a full week since the Horse Fire was first reported, and National Forest Service personnel report that the lightning-caused fire is still raging on. Fire danger for the entirety of the Bridger-Teton area has been elevated to moderate.
According to the most recent update published on the Bridger-Teton National Forest Facebook page, the fire is now burning upwards of 1,465 acres in dry and timber-heavy areas. The crew of 236, which has seen an increase of 28 personnel since yesterday, has split into two divisions to best approach the fire, with both employing indirect and direct firefighting procedures, according to the NFS.
Yesterday, crews focused on improving control lines established by fire crews in 2007 when another wildfire tore through the Horse Creek area. Control lines were being improved in the northern section of the fire area, while crews to the south conducted a controlled lighting operation to establish a boundary there.
Today, crews are focused on improving lines established by previous shifts and burning small pockets of timber that could serve as tinder for the spreading flames. Warmer and windier days are ahead for the area, so testing the strength of the present lines is critical.
