Merna Butte Fire has those nearby on alert for possible evacuation

JACKSON (WNE) — Residents are on alert for possible evacuation as crews work to contain the 77-acre Merna Butte Fire, burning in heavy timber and dead and down fuels on Merna Butte in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office has coordinated the pre-evacuation notices, using the “Ready, Set, Go” alert system. Everyone within a 1-mile radius is now in the “set” stage for possible evacuation while those within a 5-mile radius of Merna Butte are under “ready” and should be monitoring the situation for possible evacuations.

The sheriff’s office and Sublette County Emergency Management will continue to update the public, the agencies said in a news release Sunday.

On Saturday, air attack operations dropped in retardant lines around the fire area, the release said.

The fire was reported in the early morning hours on Saturday, and the cause remains under investigation. On Facebook, the Bridger-Teton said it had notified dispersed campers in the Horse Creek drainage and at the Sherman Guard station.

Merna Butte is a 30-minute drive from the Bear Den restaurant at Daniel Junction, about 27 miles on the Daniel Merna Road. An emergency road closure is in effect. Roberts Road is closed, located off the Daniel-Merna Road. Firefighters also are using Horse Creek Road, and everyone is asked to remain clear of the area.

Firefighters are working to suppress the fire and keep it from moving toward infrastructure along the forest boundary.

The Merna fire is one of a handful of wildfires burning in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The largest, the Clearwater Fire west of Wapiti, is nearly 1,900 acres and about 43% contained. Another blaze, the Leeds Creek Fire southwest of Dubois, is about 780 acres and 44% contained.

This story was published on August 12, 2024.