Aircraft Fighting Wyoming Wildfire Grounded By Someone Flying A Drone

Aerial efforts to fight a nearly 800-acre wildfire burning in a rugged area of western Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest were grounded Saturday when someone flew a drone over the fire.

The U.S. Forest Service reports the impacts included “grounding all aircraft and disrupting operations.”

Those operations include reconnaissance flights over the fire area along with aircraft making water drops, the Forest Service reports.

Those water drops and aerial scouting are to attack what’s been named the Horse Fire, which is “burning in heavy timber and slash, or fallen woody debris and branches” in a remote part of the forest, reports the Type 3 incident management team assigned to the fire.

When it was first reported Friday, the fire was estimated at about 40 acres in size burning about 10 miles west of Merna, Wyoming, and 10 miles north of McDougal Gap in Sublette County.

By Saturday night, the lightning-sparked fire had grown to about 770 acres.

Two Type 1 helicopters that can each carry 700 gallons of water at a time were ordered to help fight the wildfire.

“Alpine Hotshots and Wyoming Hotshots are on scene, along with a crew from the Nature Conservancy and local Bridger-Teton National Forest fire engines and crews,” the U.S. Forest Service reports.

Despite this fire, the overall fire danger rating for the Bridger-Teton forest is “low,” and there are no closures associated with the Horse Fire so far. However, people are asked to avoid the area.

The Horse Fire, which is throwing a large plume of smoke over the mountainous region, is estimated at 6% contained as of Saturday night, the last report available.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg@cowboystatedaily.com

Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.