Gem Lake Fire Continues To Burn In NW Johnson County; Cause Determined

Two large Chinook Helicopters, assisted by a smaller helicopter and the Gila National Forest Helitack crew have successfully prevented significant growth on the Gem Lake Fire in the Bighorn National Forest over the past few days. 

Use of these helicopters will continue.

The Blacktooth and Black Hills Wildland Fire Modules are establishing a “spike” camp to engage with suppression efforts from the ground.

To protect public and firefighter safety, an emergency closure order is now in place for the area around the fire and includes Forest System Trail 040, North Rock Creek.

The strategy continues to be full suppression with firefighter safety as the top concern. 

A military helicopter will be on standby to provide firefighter assistance in the event of an accident or injury.

The Gem Lake Fire started the afternoon of July 14, 2022, when a single engine airplane crashed igniting the fire.

It has not yet been determined how much acreage the fire has burned, nor how much of the fire has been contained.