Increase in Area Closure for The North Buffalo Fire
Incident: North Buffalo Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/22/2012
Due to fire activity, fire managers have increased the area closure around the North Buffalo Fire for improved public safety.
The closure area is described as:
The Soda Fork Trail (FS 6051) is closed. Also closed is that portion of the North Buffalo Fork Trail (FS 6047) beginning at the Junction with Trail Creek (FS 6048) and continuing easterly to its terminus on the Continental Divide. The North Buffalo Fork Trail (FS 6047) from its beginning up to the Trail Creek junction shall be open for public use.
The area closed shall be described as that portion of the North Buffalo watershed, bound by the Continental Divide on the north and east side of the fire and the Soda Fork watershed bound by Smokehouse and Terrace Mountains in the south. The west boundary is the North Buffalo Fork Trail (FS 6047) from its junction with the South Buffalo Fork Trail, up to Trail Creek (FS 6048).
Recent fire growth to the southeast requires an expansion of the closure as follows: The South Fork Trail (FS 6053) shall remain open from its junction with the North Buffalo Fork Trail (FS 6047) for approximately 3 miles to the western half of Lower Pendergraft Meadow. The South Buffalo Fork Trail is closed in Lower Pendergraft Meadow at the point where an unnamed drainage crosses the meadow from Terrace Mountain.
From the described point in Lower Pendergraft Meadow, the closure area shall be east of a line drawn down to Holmes Cave and from there, continuing southeast, to Breccia Peak. The southeast boundary is a line drawn from Breccia Peak to Bear Cub Peak.
The east side of the expanded closure area is the line drawn from Bear Cub Peak roughly to Mackinaw Lake, thence north to Crater Lake. It is important to note that areas that fall within last year's Nowlin Fire and this year's Bear Cub Fire shall be open, although caution is advised within the perimeters of these fires due to the potential for falling trees and branches.
The area closure now includes significant portions of the Cub Creek Trail (FS 6056). The fire is poised at the confluence of Cub Creek and the South Buffalo Fork River. The Cub Creek drainage is heavily forested and offers few safety zones should the fire make a run up the drainage.
The area affected may be subject to rapid fire growth that poses an extreme hazard to public safety.
The above described area is within the proclaimed and administrative boundaries of the Buffalo Ranger District, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Park County, WY.
