Three small wildfires pop up on Bridger-Teton National Forest

JACKSON (WNE) —  Three small wildfires were burning Wednesday afternoon on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, including the Alkali Fire near Bacon Creek Trail in the Upper Gros Ventre.

The Alkali Fire was reported late Wednesday morning. The Man Peak Fire, on the Greys River Ranger District in Lincoln County, and the Pine Grove Fire in southern Sublette County, were reported Tuesday evening.

Lightning caused the Pine Grove Fire. The Bridger-Teton had not determined the other two fires’ causes by press time, though lightning is suspected.

The forest does not formally declare a fire’s cause until firefighters are on the ground.

“The whole forest took lightning” Tuesday, Bridger-Teton spokesperson Mary Cernicek said. The Greys River District alone was struck 100 times.

The Alkali Fire was 3 acres by press time Wednesday, with a helicopter fighting the blaze.

The Man Peak Fire consisted of a single tree set ablaze on a steep grade, surrounded by rock and snow. A helicopter was unable to land there, but smokejumpers were lowered to fight the fire. Single-tree fires are not uncommon, Cernicek said.

The Pine Grove Fire, which was 3 acres Wednesday morning, was actually three small fires in the same vicinity. There were two helicopters on the fire and a firefighting crew hiked in, arriving in the afternoon.

The Bridger-Teton will continue looking for fires, using lightning detection maps to direct the search.

“Holdover” fires can occur several days after lightning, depending on where it strikes. Small fires in leaf litter or duff can smolder until a gust of wind flares it up.

“If the weather moves through at four o’clock in the afternoon, we don’t just patrol until 7 p.m. and call it good,” Cernicek said.

This story was published on July 3, 2025.