Date: July 25, 2007
Contact: Al Nash, 307-344-2010
Contact: Stacy Vallie, 307-344-2012
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2007 9:00 AM 07-48
Al Nash or Stacy Vallie (307) 344-2010 or 344-2012
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Cloudy Skies and Cool Weather Over The Owl Fire
For the first time since the fire was discovered last Friday, firefighters on the Owl Fire woke up to cloudy skies and cooler temperatures.
Some areas in and around Yellowstone National Park received some much needed rainfall last evening. However, no rainfall was recorded at a remote weather station located five and a half miles southeast of the Owl Fire.
Today’s weather forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, cooler temperatures, higher humidity and scattered showers or thunderstorms. Gusty winds from a passing thunderstorm Monday afternoon caused the Owl Fire to grow from 300 to about 1200 acres, the last time a fire size estimate was made.
The Owl Fire is burning in the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, east of U.S. 191, and north of the Montana/Wyoming State Line. This lightning-caused fire is burning in a mature lodgepole pine and spruce forest in the backcountry away from roads and developed areas.
Tony Wilder’s Type 2 Incident Management Team took over the Owl Fire this morning. They’re setting up an Incident Command Post north of West Yellowstone at the Rainbow Point Campground.
This change allows Yellowstone staff to focus on the Beaver Dam Fire burning in the backcountry near the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake, and on any new fires that start in the park.
All visitor services, park entrances and roads are open. Some trails and backcountry campsites are temporarily closed. Details are available by calling the Backcountry Office at (307) 344-2160 during business hours. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction for the airspace over the Owl Fire. Details are available by contacting a Flight Service Station or online at http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_9450.html.
There have been twelve fires in Yellowstone National Park this year. Four have been caused by people; eight were started by lightning. Fire restrictions have been in effect in the park since July 3.
Recorded information on the Owl Fire is available 24-hours-a-day by calling (307) 344-2580, or on the web at http://inciweb.org/incident/855/.
-www.nps.gov/yell -
