CODY, wyo — Following a Tuesday afternoon flyover of the Fishhawk Fire burning in the Shoshone National Forest 41 miles west of Cody, Wyo., firefighters now estimate the blaze at 4,048 acres, said Fishhawk Fire information officials.
The estimate of the fire's size grew about 2,034 acres between Monday night and Tuesday.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Fishhawk Fire Public Information Officer Kristie Salzmann said the incident commander tried to do a flyover of the fire Tuesday morning but had difficulty seeing due to smoke cover.
At 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Salzmann said fire officials performed another flyover with a plane outfitted with a thermal imaging camera. The camera allowed fire officials to see through the smoke and determine the fire's actual size of 4,034 acres.
A public meeting to discuss the Fishhawk Fire will be held at the Yellowstone Valley Inn located at 3324 N. Fork Hwy in Cody at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Salzmann said the public can ask questions about the actions and tactics fire personnel are taking to fight the Fishhawk Fire. Officials will also tell the public that the Shoshone National Forest has ordered a Type 2 Incident Management team to help fight the fire. A type 2 team is made up of firefighting resources from the national and state level. Officials have asked for more resources due to the fires complexity, size, type of terrain, and fuel type.
Should the fire change direction, Salzmann said there are some summer recreational cabins and two lodges with special land use permits in the Shoshone forest that may be at risk.
Tuesday, smoke from the fire is generally drifting to the south.
People traveling U.S. Highway 14/16/20 (also known as the North Fork Highway) should travel with care. This is the highway that leads to the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Salzmann said visibility may be lowered at times due to smoke cover. And motorists should watch for fire crews that will be moving frequently on the highway. Salzmann advised motorists to slow down and be careful.
