Little Horse Thief Fire Grows

The Little Horse Thief Fire south of Jackson is now estimated to involve about 1500 acres.  The fire began around 3:00 pm Saturday and quickly spread up the hillside from behind industrial buildings and residences – burning away from structures and into national forest lands.  By Sunday afternoon, a spotfire had erupted east of the original fire, sending up a column of smoke that could be seen as far away as Daniel and causing no small amount of concern for town residents who believed the fire closer than it was.  Fire lines are currently about 1 ½ miles southeast of Snow King Mountain and moving to the Northeast.  No evacuations are in place at this time and a Type 2 fire team has taken over the fire as of this morning.  Numerous helicopters and air tankers have been involved in the firefight along with crews from the Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park.  The only property loss reported so far was a wildland fire engine belonging to Jackson Hole Fire/EMS which was destroyed while its crew escaped unharmed.  A cause for the fire has not yet been determined.