New Gem Lake Wildfire Reported in Remote Area of Bighorn National Forest

There’s not much information on the remote Gem Lake Fire, but Bighorn National Forest personnel are fighting from the air while exploring options to engage from the ground.

The U.S. Forest Service released information on a newly discovered wildfire in Bighorn National Forest on Wednesday, July 20. However, stopping the fire will be difficult given its location.

Gem Lake is located in the Powder River Ranger District near Buffalo. The lake is located just outside the Cloud Peak Wilderness, far from any developed roads in the forest. However, the established Gem Lake Trail leads to that exact location.

Courtesy Natural Atlas

The only information currently available is personnel are responding to the fire – and its location will make additional firefighting efforts difficult.

According to the July 20 update on the Gem Lake Fire, “suppression is primarily being done with aerial resources.” Meanwhile, “crews are looking for options to safely engage the fire on the ground.”

The fire’s location is described as “remote,” with “rocky and steep” terrain. Because of the terrain, an on-the-ground response has yet to begin and will be challenging to stage.

As of Thursday, July 24, there is no additional information on the Gem Lake Fire. Furthermore, the fire has yet to have an incident page established on InciWeb.

Courtesy Bighorn National Forest

This is a developing story. More details will be posted on mybighornbasin.com as information becomes available.