Horse Fire Grows to Nearly 1,000 Acres in Bridger-Teton National Forest

A wildfire known as the Horse Fire has expanded to 969 acres in the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s Big Piney Ranger District, according to an official update from the US Forest Service, Buckrail reports.

First discovered on Friday, June 13, the fire was ignited by lightning and is burning in an area of heavy timber and slash.

The fire is located roughly 10 miles west of Merna, 10 miles north of McDougal Gap, and 2 miles west of Prospect Peak, near the meeting point of South Horse Creek and Cow Creek.

Response efforts are being led by the Alpine Hotshots and Wyoming Hotshots, along with engine crews and personnel from the Nature Conservancy and the US Forest Service. On Friday evening, a Type 3 Incident Management Organization was brought in to coordinate the growing effort. This type of management team is typically activated for incidents of moderate complexity that require multiple agencies and extended operational periods.

As of now, no closures are in effect, but forest officials are urging the public to avoid Horse Creek Road due to increased fire traffic and equipment in the area.

Operations were briefly disrupted over the weekend when a drone was spotted flying over the fire on Saturday. As a result, aerial firefighting resources were grounded for safety.

“Drones stop critical aerial firefighting operations, such as water drops and reconnaissance flights,” the Forest Service posted on social media. “Keep drones out of wildfire zones. If you fly, we can’t!”