Firefighters contain Clearwater along crucial northern, eastern edges

POWELL (WNE) — The Clearwater Fire is now 43% contained, especially on the northern and eastern flanks, and the threat of it spreading toward those directions has reduced to the point where some personnel are leaving for other fires, according to the Monday morning update by the Wyoming Type 3 incident command team.

“This leaves an appropriate number of resources here for this fire and is a standard practice with the national fire workforce when numerous regions throughout the country are experiencing a high volume of fire activity,” the report states. “Currently, 79 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide, and approximately 27,000 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents.”

As of Monday morning, 80 personnel are still assigned to the blaze, down from nearly 150 last week.

Firefighters cut hazardous trees in the Elk Fork Campground over the weekend and did some additional work in the Elk Fork drainage on the eastern edge of the burn area, according to the release.

On Monday, engines were set to patrol the highway corridor, monitoring fire behavior and watching for any activity that could threaten the roadway.

The fire’s southern perimeter may also be monitored by aerial resources.

Due to heavy fuels in steep, inaccessible terrain, the fire is likely to burn and smolder for some time in conifer forest, brush, and dead and down logs, even with cooler temperatures and precipitation, the release states.

The Elk Fork Campground remains closed indefinitely, and the Wapiti and Clearwater campgrounds closed until conditions allow otherwise.

This story was published on August 13, 2024.