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With the Little Horsethief Fire more than 90 percent contained, the Bridger-Teton National Forest has lifted the closure for Snow King and Cache Creek trails.

The Putt-Putt, Ferrin’s and Hagen trails will open up Cache Creek, and hikers and bikers may reach the Snow King summit via the main resort trail or Josie’s Ridge. Crystal Butte and Nowlin Peak also will reopen. The Elk Refuge Road has reopened to all traffic.

The cost of suppressing the fire has reached $7.9 million. Nearly two weeks after the fire began, allegedly in a backyard at the mouth of Wilson Canyon, investigators have not identified the cause.

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Posted under Environment, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: cache creek, game creek, hiking, horsethief fire, mountain biking, national forest, snow king

Update 9/19: The cost of fire suppression has risen to $7.1 million.

As the Little Horsethief Fire burns for a seventh day behind Snow King Mountain, the total number of personnel combating the blaze has swelled to nearly 600, and the cost has exceeded $2.8 million. The fire has burned 3,300 acres.

Bewilderingly, residents continue to set illegal burns. During last night’s community meeting, Sheriff Jim Whalen announced that an illegal burn had just been reported up Game Creek. A deputy was dispatched to cite the offender, the sheriff said.

Fire managers expect a little more activity from the blaze today, with breezes from the south and southwest. But efforts are focused on the southern flank above Game Creek; on the northern flank near Cache Creek, crews are mopping up and securing the control line.

Besides the obvious concern for homes in the vicinity of the blaze, residents have asked how the fire is affecting trails. The greater Snow King area, including Cache and Game creeks, is one of the most heavily used recreation areas in Wyoming, especially for hiking and mountain biking. Hunters and equestrians use the area as well. With 43 engines and two bulldozers assisting firefighting crews, there has been a significant impact on these trails.

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Posted under Environment, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: cache creek, game creek, hiking, horsethief fire, mountain biking, national forest, snow king

Update 6:10 p.m.: The fire has reached the ridge atop the Cache Creek drainage, approximately 2 miles from the trailhead. Fire managers are warning residents of the Snow King area to be prepared to implement an evacuation plan Monday.

For more recent updates, see the comments.

As afternoon winds have picked up, the Little Horsethief Fire is burning in Wilson Canyon behind Snow King, giving residents of east Jackson a close-up view of the fight.

A 100-acre spot fire ahead of the main blaze has sent a huge plume of smoke above the ridge separating Cache Creek from Game Creek. But the main fire is still 1 to 1.5 miles from Snow King, a county spokeswoman said.

Residents are out in the streets, watching the smoke billow over Cache. Tankers have been making passes as they head toward Wilson Canyon to drop retardant.

Charlotte Reynolds, Teton County information officer, said there is no reason to panic. East Jackson is “not in imminent danger at this time,” she said.

But one man on Willow Street was packing his truck for a possible evacuation, saying he is taking no chances. The man said he is from Colorado Springs, where a fire torched hundreds of homes in June.

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Posted under Environment, Ski Resorts, Weather

Tags: cache creek, game creek, horsethief fire, national forest, snow king

Updated 2:15 p.m. with closure map, after jump

Despite an intensive effort by firefighters, the Little Horsethief Fire continues to burn south of Jackson, and with high winds expected today, the Bridger-Teton National Forest has closed trails around Snow King and Cache Creek.

The fire had burned 750 acres as of this morning, according to the interagency incident page. Despite drops of water and flame retardant by tankers and helicopters, it was only 10 percent contained as of 10 p.m. last night. The fire is moving north and northeast.

One Teton County fire engine was destroyed last night while refueling when an ember landed on spilled gasoline. Firefighters ran and escaped without injury.

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Posted under Environment, Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: cache creek, game creek, horsethief fire, mountain biking, national forest, snow king

A 400-acre fire burning behind the Little Horsethief subdivision south of Jackson already has forced evacuation of an industrial area off Highway 89, and Game Creek residents have been advised to prepare for evacuation.

No structures are threatened in Game Creek as of the latest update at 6:20 p.m. from Teton County Emergency Management. Also, fire managers report no danger to Snow King, according to the interagency incident page.

Two helicopters and four engines are fighting the blaze, which is burning on the east side of the highway about 6 miles south of town. At 6:15 p.m., a tanker dropped nearly 3,000 gallons of flame retardant on an adjacent hillside.

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Posted under Environment, Weather

Tags: game creek, horsethief fire, national forest