Jackson Hole Daily, Mike Koshmrl- The last of the mandatory evacuation orders from the Lava Mountain and Cliff Creek fires is set to end today, when seasonal residents of the Granite Creek drainage will be able to return home for the first time in two weeks.
Teton County commissioners will gather for a special meeting to lift the mandatory evacuation order for the area closure at Granite Creek at 9 a.m.
The scenic Bridger-Teton National Forest road, lined by dozens of homes, guest ranches and popular camping areas, has been off limits since the Cliff Creek Fire crested onto the ridges east of the creek on July 18.
“My understanding is that the road is going to be at least partially opened in the morning,” fire information officer Andy Lyon said Thursday.
Some Granite Creek attractions, such as the commercial hot springs near the end of the road, will remain shut for the time being. Lyon was unsure of the status of the Granite Creek Campground, but he advised against spending time recreating in the area.
“Once you get off the valley floor, if you hike up any of trails a half mile — Swift Creek, to Shoal Creek — you’d be in a wildfire area with fire and smoke and falling trees and things like that,” Lyon said.
“Granite Creek has been holding unhealthy levels of smoke, so I would encourage people to stay out of there,” he said. “Don’t go up there at all if you have any breathing difficulties, and wait until the afternoon when the skies clear out if you do go, because it’s nasty up there in the mornings.”
Containment of the 49-square-mile Cliff Creek Fire has stood at 84 percent for several days, even though the wildfire has been burning actively in its interior and to the north and east.
Managers are allowing the fire to burn “into the rocks” on those sides and toward the alpine zone of the Gros Ventre Range that provides a natural barrier, which explains why the fire can grow while its containment estimate is at a standstill.
Firefighters assigned to the blaze numbered 336 — half the peak staffing level — going into Thursday. Lyon expected the number would continue to decline the rest of this week.
East of Togwotee Pass, the 23-square-mile Lava Mountain Fire has grown very little of late and stood at 60 percent containment since Tuesday. Evacuations of hundreds of residences in the Union Pass area and Porcupine Subdivision were lifted the same day.
As of Thursday, nearly 650 personnel were still assigned to the Lava Mountain Fire, which has cost federal agencies funded by the U.S. taxpayer more than $16 million.
The Cliff Creek Fire, meanwhile, had run up a $12.2 million bill through Wednesday, Lyon said.