Irish Fire
09/27, PM - The 9-acre fire was declared out this afternoon. The fire will no longer be staffed or monitored. Irish Canyon Road is open. No further updates will be posted here.
09/27, AM - Firefighters remained on the Irish Fire overnight and will monitor the fire today, mopping up any remaining hot spots today. They plan to leave the 100-percent contained fire this afternoon.
09/26 - Irish Canyon Road is now open, fire is 100 percent contained. Firefighters are still working on the fire.
09/25 - Crews working on the fire expect to attain 100 percent containment by this afternoon. There are currently 40 firefighters mopping up the fire perimeter. By midafternoon, 12 local firefighters will be released and return to the Pinedale Ranger District to be available for initial attack as needed. A crew of 20 firefighters will remain to monitor and patrol.
09/24 - Crews made excellent progress on the Irish Fire yesterday. The fire, northwest of Big Sandy, has been more accurately assessed to be 9 acres (vs. the initial 25-acre estimate). Crews reported that they had no spot fires outside the retardant lines yesterday, and they have been able to hold the fire in its original foootprint. No percent-containment estimate is available.
09/23 - Saturday afternoon, air tankers dropped retardant around the entire fire, boxing it in and slowing its growth. About 28 firefighters have hiked to the fire. Today, Sunday, September 23, 2018 23, they will construct fireline where they can safely do so. The area has a lot of snags (standing dead trees), which pose a hazard to the crews. A Type 2 helicopter will assist firefighters on the ground with water drops.
We have no reports of structure damaged or injuries. The evacuation of Big Sandy Draw was lifted. However, Irish Canyon Road remains closed and the dispersed campers and hunting camps along that road have been and remain evacuated. The cause is being investigated.
09/22 - A new fire was located on the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday, September 22. It is in remote, rugged terrain approximately 30 miles southeast of Pinedale, a half mile southwest of the Bridger Wilderness boundary, and 3 miles northwest of Big Sandy. A helicopter was dispatched and reported smoke but no visible flames and estimated the fire to be approximately 5 acres. The helicopter was diverted to assist with evacuations. When air attack flew over the fire around 3:30 p.m., it was estimated to be 30 acres. The pilot reported very active fire behavior: torching, spotting, and spreading quickly in a generally easterly direction.
Forest Service engines poised for initial attack responded with a full-suppression strategy and a priority of protecting the public from the outset. Numerous hunting camps and individuals are in front of the fire, so the Forest’s immediate response included contacting Sublette County, which then used Reverse 911 to evacuate the Big Sandy area. Firefighters’ priority is public safety and getting people out of the way of this rapidly advancing fire. They are getting assistance from aerial resources to locate, notify, and evacuate people in front of the fire. Interagency resources being used in the initial attack of this fire, some of which were diverted from the nearby Roosevelt Fire, include air tankers, helicopters, engines, and numerous firefighters.