Wildfire again closes yellowstone south entrance
Wildfire again closes yellowstone south entrance
13 September 2016
published by http://trib.com
USA CHEYENNE A wildfire that roared back to life closed the south gate to Yellowstone National Park again Monday and forced employees to flee.
The same blaze shut down the entrance for nine days late last month. It had died down until winds picked up Sunday, taking firefighters by surprise.
Thats when the Berry Fire grew by more than 9 square miles and crossed a highway connecting Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Authorities closed the route between Lizard Creek Campground in Grand Teton and Lewis Lake in Yellowstone.
A handful of employees at a gas station and a convenience store and half a dozen people at a campground were evacuated from U.S. 89/191/287, fire information officer Traci Weaver said.
A small number of park employees also left Yellowstones south gate area. All evacuees were accounted for and safe, officials said.
The main thing we want to do is have accountability for everybody out there, fire information officer Jake Brollier told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Firefighters were optimistic that cooler weather and higher humidity, along with a good chance of rain and even snow at higher elevations, would help.
The fire has burned more than 32 square miles of woodland in and around the highway.
