Togwotee Pass reopens

JACKSON (WNE) — Highway 26 over Togwotee Pass has reopened. Officials will guide traffic through the area west of Dubois where the fire has burned closest to the road, according to a Friday morning press release.

Maintenance crews will run pilots between milepost 26 and 29.8 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.

Depending on conditions the highway could stay open for the weekend, officials said.

“Please drive slowly and with caution because there will still be some firefighters working in the area and visibility could be limited,” officials said in the press release.

On Thursday, officials said the highway over Togwotee Pass would remain closed to protect firefighters and the public.

A Thursday update from Brent Olson, incident commander from Northern Rockies Team 1, the U.S. Forest Service team fighting the blaze said the situation is evaluated each morning.

Given the thick clouds of smoke, visibility is expected to drop to 10 to 15 feet, making the stretch of highway unsafe for motorists. In addition, firefighters are moving along the highway, another safety concern.

“We can’t have people lookie-looing on the road,” Powell said.

The fire team and the Wyoming Department of Transportation closed the road Monday afternoon because of deteriorating visibility.

The Fish Creek Fire, which is burning southwest of Highway 26 over Togwotee Pass between Moran and Dubois, was ignited by lightning on Aug. 16. From Wednesday to Thursday it grew by 822 acres to 18,734 acres.

Resources concentrated on the blaze include 449 total personnel, eight hand crews, 14 engines, one dozer, 18 pieces of heavy equipment and five helicopters.

As the fire made a push toward the highway, crews started burning operations between the road and the fire’s flaming front, according to the team.

This story was published on September 6, 2024.