Jackson Hole wildland fire ignitions double from last year

JACKSON (WNE) — On Tuesday morning, the forest near Beaver Creek in Grand Teton National Park was alive with the buzz of chainsaws.

Members of the Teton Interagency Fire crew — plus Forest Service firefighters on a tour from Helena, Montana — were helping create “defensible space” around employee housing nestled in a wooded area. 

The tranquil morning comes amid a fire season that has been busy but not yet bad.

Teton Interagency Fire has seen double the number of fires this summer that it had at the same time last year, though all but one stayed smaller than 10 acres, said Dave Wilkins, forest management officer for the northern zone of the Bridger-Teton. 

There have also been 96 abandoned campfires to date this season, double the number from the same time last year.

The increased ignitions this summer were caused by more July lightning that came with less rain, said Ron Steffens, a fire analyst who has been with the Teton Interagency Fire for the past 30 years.

None of the fires got out of control and even the Horse Fire, which grew to 2,800 acres, had a successful initial attack, Steffens said, though it was an “indirect attack.” The standard way to fight an upper elevation fire, like the Horse Fire, is to let it move to a large meadow, unless there are structures at risk.

Fires have stayed small because of the abundance of available resources and a little bit of luck, Steffens said. The agency had the fire crew from Helena and a large helicopter on hand, after requesting additional resources from the National Interagency Fire Center to remain on standby.

The helicopter, which has since been returned, is able to drop 10 times more water than small local helicopters.

“The outside resources that have been staged here have really aided our suppression efforts,” Wilkins said.

This story was published on August 6, 2025.