Memorial Day fire ‘now controlled,’ parkwide fire danger remains ‘LOW’
EBS STAFF
Hikers on the Bighorn Pass Trail detected Yellowstone National Park’s first wildland fire of the season on Monday, May 26.
The Memorial Day Fire was caused by lightning and grew to just .1 acres in a mixed conifer forest, and is now controlled, according to a May 28 press release from the National Park Service. The fire was located .75 miles southeast of the Bighorn Pass Trailhead, south of Big Sky off U.S. Highway 191.
“Yellowstone wildland firefighters are suppressing the creeping ground fire, and it is now controlled,” the release stated, noting that the parkwide fire danger remains “LOW” and there are currently no fire restrictions in place in the park. Campfires are only permitted within established fire rings in campgrounds and some backcountry campsites, and must always be cold to the touch before abandoned.
The release added that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a “fire-adapted ecosystem” in which fire plays an important role in maintaining the area’s wildlife habitat and vegetation.
