300 Attack Yellowstone Park Fire

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. —  About 300 firefighters stormed a 100-acre blaze in Yellowstone National Park on Saturday to take advantage of cooler temperatures and light winds.

By Friday night, firefighters had contained about 25% of the lightning-caused fire in the park’s northeastern section and worked to expand that line Saturday, said park spokeswoman Marsha Karle.

“It’s not out,” Karle said. “We’re making lots of progress.”

The fire started Thursday afternoon. By about noon Saturday, temperatures at Yellowstone Lake had reached only 63 degrees, and the winds were gusting to only about 5 m.p.h., so park officials boosted the number of firefighters at the blaze on Mt. Washburn from 100 to 300.

Ground crews were helped by drops of fire retardant and water from helicopters and airplanes.

“It’s a nice, cool day,” Karle said. “The winds are down, and they’re really making a big push to get as much done today as they can because it’s really supposed to warm up and get windy again (today).”