The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Lodgepole pines torch at the New Fork Lakes Fire in Wyoming. The fire started July 29 by an abandoned campfire and grew to 12,000 acres after nine days.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Flames from the New Fork Lakes Fire consume beetle-killed lodgepole pines in late July in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Pinedale, Wyo.

Photo by Matt Stensland /
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Flames from the New Fork Lakes Fire send smoke into the air. In two days, the fire consumed 3,000 acres.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Incident commander trainee Steve Markason, right, discusses the strategy for fighting the New Fork Lakes Fire with incident commander Bill Neckels, left, and firefighter Mack McFarland.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Students at the June Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in Gunnison get briefed before a field exercise.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Bob Kittridge, crew chief of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Wildland Fire Suppression Team supervises students building a fire line at the June Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in Gunnison.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Sublette County firefighter John Ball walks past a sprinkler set up to protect a structure from the New Fork Lakes Fire.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Charred lodgepole pines stand on a hillside above the New Fork Lakes in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Photo by Matt Stensland

The New Fork Lakes Fire sends smoke through the lodgepole pines in Wyoming.

Photo by Matt Stensland

In June 2007, a fire broke out in the beetle-killed pines surrounding the YMCA of the Rockies’ Snow Mountain Ranch in Ground County. All the structures at the camp were saved because of clear-cutting done before the fire.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Smokey Bear gives a thumbs up during an event in South Routt County. Critics say Smokey has done too good of a job convincing people fire is bad.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Flames from the New Fork Lakes Fire send smoke through the lodgepole pines in late July in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Pinedale, Wyo.

Photo by Matt Stensland

It was a difficult decision to remove the dead and dying trees at the YMCA of the Rockies' Snow Mountain Ranch, but doing so likely saved many of the buildings from burning during the June 2007 fire.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Firefighter Joe Murphy gets ready to head to the line at the New Fork Lakes Fire near Pinedale, Wyo.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Fire from the New Fork Lakes Fire sends smoke into the air in late July in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Pinedale, Wyo.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Students at the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in Gunnison in June practice building a fire line.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Fire from the New Fork Lakes Fire consumes lodgepole pines in late July in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Pinedale, Wyo.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Bob Kittridge, crew chief of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Wildland Fire Suppression Team, advises students about how to deploy fire shelters at the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in June in Gunnison.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Firefighters with the Sawtooth Hotshots out of Twin Falls, Idaho, return from the fire line.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Plastic figures representing firefighters are placed in a sand table used for training at the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in June in Gunnison.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Steamboat Springs firefighter Bobby Davis flies a miniature helicopter while participating in a training exercise dealing with strategy and tactics for fighting wildfires at the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in June in Gunnison.

Photo by Matt Stensland

Students at the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy in Gunnison get briefed before heading out into the field for an exercise.

Photo by Matt Stensland