Yellowstone fire danger climbs

Several weeks of persistently sunny skies and curing vegetation have pushed Yellowstone National Park’s fire danger to “high” for the first time in 2018.

The higher ranking comes days after lightning sparked the first wildfire of the season near Yellowstone. As of Sunday, the Bacon Rind Fire, just outside the park’s northwest boundary, was burning in the Custer-Gallatin National Forest’s Lee Metcalf Wilderness, about two miles west of Highway 191.

“Smoke from the fire is visible from Highway 191, and the fire poses no threat to the highway at this time,” federal officials wrote on InciWeb, an online wildfire information database. “If you do see smoke from the Bacon Rind Fire, please remember to stay focused on driving until you can find a safe place to pull over.”

As of Sunday, the Bacon Rind Fire was 25 acres, but it was spotting in several areas within a 50-acre perimeter. The possibility of standing dead trees falling during ignition was creating a “significant safety concern” for firefighters.

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