Granite Creek evacuation order still in effect as Cliff Creek fire burns
UPDATE 10:30 PM The US Forest Service says, “Thursday morning July 21, Granite Creek summer homeowners will have an opportunity to collect their possessions. If you are at the turn-out just as you come into the Granite Creek Road there will be fire personnel who will escort you to collect your things. You will need to be there at 8:00 am and you will come out no later than 10:00 with our escort. Please bring coolers we have been told that the power was shut off today. As you enter the fire area please be cautious and Drive Safely”
The evacuation order for the Granite Creek area is still in effect as of Thursday. As of this morning, the Cliff Creek Fire had not extended into the Granite Creek drainage but officials are keeping the area cleared.
Approximately 30 firefighters and 10 fire engines have been assigned to the Granite Creek drainage to patrol, assess and perform wildfire mitigation efforts around structures, which include the Safari Club International, Jack Pine summer homes and Granite Hot Springs pool facilities, according to Mike Moyer, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Battalion Chief and Teton County Agency Representative to the Cliff Creek Incident Management Team.
Crews are ensuring there is a safe perimeter of fuel break around homes, and they are setting up pumps, hoses and sprinklers, Moyer said. The Cliff Creek Fire size increased Tuesday and overnight to 7,671 acres, according to Ronda Bishop, Public Information Officer for the Cliff Creek Fire Incident Command Team. The fire is zero percent contained, with 464 personnel involved in containment, suppression and structure protection efforts.
Shifting winds have caused the fire to move up over a ridge and toward U.S. Highway 191. Route 191 will therefore remain closed Wednesday, Bishop said. The road closure will be reassessed Wednesday evening.
The firefighting team, being led by Great Basin Team 7 and Incident Commander Tony DeMasters, will hold a community meetings will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2016, at the Hoback Fire Station # 3 in Hoback Junction and at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2016 at the Pinedale Administration Building “Old Elementary School” in Pinedale. The community meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to get a fire management update and to ask questions.
