Big fire in Yellowstone National Park grows, but areas open

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The biggest wildfire in Yellowstone National Park grew significantly amid warm, windy weather, forcing firefighters to take measures to protect nearby park facilities in case it shifts direction.

All the park’s main tourist facilities and roads were open Monday, but the flames were creeping toward a key road linking the West Entrance to the park’s interior. The fire is one of four burning in Yellowstone, and the forecast again called for higher temperatures and gusts that could fan the flames.

The largest blaze grew by nearly 10 square miles Sunday to about 35 square miles since lightning ignited it on Aug. 8. Firefighters were not actively suppressing the fire because winds have pushed it mostly into a remote area.

“As it’s pushing off to the north and east, there’s not a lot of values at risk as far as infrastructure goes,” said Mike Johnson, a spokesman with the National Park Service.

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