The Boulder

Lake Fire, formerly the Tannerite Fire,

burning between Boulder and Burnt lakes

is 80-percent contained as of Thursday

morning, said Nan Stinson, fire prevention

specialist for the Bridger-Teton National

Forest. The official acreage stands at 1,359

acres. The fire showed no growth, however,

and the slightly higher number reflected

more accurate mapping, Stinson explained.

“Firefighters had success with mop-up

efforts (Wednesday) and made significant

gains in containment over the last five

days,” Stinson said. “The mop-up efforts

are pivotal to the success of the operation.”

The Type III Incident Command Team

handed control back to the local Type IV

team on Thursday morning. Three National

Forest Type-6 engines are still on the

scene along with a helicopter from Teton

Interagency Fire, Stinson said. Around 25

personnel continue to focus on mopping up

hot spots.

“We will maintain a presence on the fire

until it is out,” said Stinson.

The Forest Service plans to reopen the

road from Burnt Lake to Meadow Lake

(Forest Road 766) on Friday, Stinson said.

The first reports of smoke came in to

Sublette County Unified Fire around 1 p.m.

on Saturday, Aug. 17, County Fire Warden

Shad Cooper told the Sublette County Board

of Commissioners on Tuesday.

Plumes of smoke developed rapidly near

the elk feedgrounds above Boulder Lake.

The wind, dry air, fuel and topography combined

to create optimal conditions for the fire

to race up the slopes.

“We threw tremendous resources into

the fire,” Cooper said to the commissioners.

“We had eight (SCUF) apparatus on the

scene within minutes.”

Flames leapt 20 feet into the air, creating

dangerous conditions for ground crews.

The rough terrain and wall of fire made it

“difficult to fight the flames with engines,”

Cooper added.

SCUF immediately reached out to inter-

agency partners including the BLM,

Bridger-Teton National Forest and the state.

Essential air support arrived quickly to contain

the flames, Cooper said.

“This was a very well coordinated effort

(between the agencies),” he said. “Everyone

came together and kept the fire from going

too big.”

The new unified command team developed

a plan of attack, using resources where

they were best suited, Cooper said. SCUF

the fire’s path.

“We had firefighters on the porches of

homes,” he told the commissioners. “They did

a tremendous job saving property.”

No residences were lost in the fire and the

elk feeding grounds were protected.

The interagency command threw in their

full arsenal – smoke jumpers, helicopters,

boats, single engine air tankers and brush engines,

said Stinson. With fewer fires across

the country so far this year, Stinson said that

resources are more readily available than in

past years.

Stinson explained that the lines of pink retardant

dropped by the single engine air tankers

really turned the tables in containing the fire.

The retardant does not always stop flames,

but it slows the progress of the fire significantly

and buys valuable time for the ground

crews to bulldoze or dig perimeter lines, Stinson

explained.

Mopping up

Mop-up efforts to eliminate hot spots will

continue until the fire is fully contained and

controlled.

“Crews are mopping up hot spots to make

sure embers don’t restart,” Stinson said on

Monday. “The public may not always realize

that even though there are no more flames or

plumes of smoke, there’s still a threat.”

Different fuels hold heat longer than others,

Stinson said. Grass, for example, burns right

through and grass fires burn out immediately.

Sagebrush and aspen, however, simmer with

heat for hours or days after the initial flames

burn through. These hot spots of “duff,” where

embers fester in the ground around the roots,

pose a threat to the fire line.

This is where the unsung heroes of wildland

firefighting come in. On Monday, mop-up

crews were focused on hotspots around the

perimeter. Several firemen climbed high up

the ridges, scanning the terrain for smoke that

marked a hot spot. Stinson said that firefighters

also rely on infrared flights over the fire

zone to detect hot spots.

Crews on the ground sprayed water from

engines or hand-held tanks, while the others

used tools to mix the water into the ground.

The mop-up crews work 16-hours shifts.

“They basically get back to camp, eat,

check their supplies and go right to sleep,”

she said.

On Monday, a crew with the BTNF and

another with SCUF were mopping up a stand

of aspens above the elk feedground. Eric

Chapman, “Zulu” division supervisor on the

ground, explained that the mop-up crews were

the “real heroes” on Monday.

“We had a lot of hot spots in the aspens

today,” he said. “Without (the firefighters’) efforts,

the fire might have jumped the line and

burned another 5 or 10 acres. These are good

crews – they’ve been working hard, running

from fire to fire.”

Stinson confirmed that the official cause

of the fire was people shooting at exploding

targets. She stressed that this activity is illegal

on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management

land.

The county does not have a specific ordinance

against the use of exploding targets

outside federal land, said Sgt. Travis Bingham.

However, in light of the Tannerite Fire,

the Sheriff’s Office “does not condone” this

activity.

crews were assigned to protect residences in