The Nation : Snowstorm May Help Smother Yellowstone Park Fires

A forecast for up to 6 inches of snow at Yellowstone National Park gave firefighters prospects of a chance to reinforce battle lines against fires that have burned for three months. The storm would likely leave much of its moisture on the northern sections of the park, said Ken Dittmer, an area commander at Yellowstone. But high winds preceded the storm, with more than 40 m.p.h. gusts in some areas, fanning existing blazes. Fires burning in northern Yellowstone, including the 335,300-acre North Fork blaze, have been the most active in recent days and received the least moisture from a front that passed through the park a week ago. The North Fork fire is the one that burned buildings in the tourist complex at Old Faithful geyser and threatened West Yellowstone, Mont., and park headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs. Almost half of the 2.2-million-acre Wyoming park has been blackened.