Date: August 17, 2007
Contact: Al Nash, 307-344-2010
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2007- 9:15 AM 07-74
Al Nash or Stacy Vallie (307) 344-2010 or 344-2012
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Yellowstone’s East Entrance Open Again
This information supercedes that posted in the Columbine Fire Fact Sheet for today. The East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park re-opened to traffic at 9 o’clock this morning, after being temporarily closed a second time due to the threat posed by the Columbine Fire.
The park’s East Entrance road has been temporarily closed twice in recent days because of active fire behavior just south of road.
Thunderstorms overnight cooled temperatures and increased humidity, resulting in less active fire behavior. The forecast for today calls for continued cooler conditions, higher humidity and a chance of rain which would keep fire activity lower. This allowed Incident Commander Mark Grant to recommend the road be reopened to traffic. Rangers removed road barricades and traffic was allowed to resume traveling between the East Entrance and Fishing Bridge this morning.
The Columbine Fire poses no threat to park visitors traveling near or along the East Entrance road. With the reopening of the road, all park entrances and roads will once again be open to the public.
All camping, lodging, restaurants, stores, service stations, and visitor centers inside the park remain open and fully operational.
The road had been closed due to fire danger from 4:15 pm Sunday until 8:00 am Tuesday, and again from 7:00 pm Tuesday until 9:00 am this morning.
This is the third time the East Entrance road has been temporarily closed this summer. A small mudslide near Sylvan Pass led to an overnight closure in late July.
Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.
The Columbine Fire is burning in Yellowstone National Park and the Shoshone National Forest south of the East Entrance road and US Highway 14-16-20. Firefighting efforts on the Columbine Fire are being directed by Mark Grant’s Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team. This morning the fire was estimated at 18,500 acres.
Updates on the Columbine Fire are being posted to the web at http://inciweb.org/incident/920/. Recorded information on the Columbine Fire is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2580. North Fork residents can get specific information by calling 307-578-5216. Media representatives can get updated information on the Columbine Fire by calling 307-242-7649.
-www.nps.gov/yell -
