The Yellow Lake Fire is finally listed as 100 percent contained at a total of 33,045 acres. The Yellow Lake Fire had been discovered on September 28th and the mild fall weather and dry conditions created a very dangerous situation that resulted in evacuations and threatened structures and communities. Ashley National Forest staff explained that the oddly late fire season was caused by flash drought conditions which actually increased fire danger to levels comparable to peak fire season in July. They also confirmed that the large amount of bug killed trees were a factor in the dangerous conditions but that the winds provided an especially scary condition as they could drive the fire hard and there was almost nothing that could be done when that happened. Everyone was hoping for a really strong cold front to bring a lot of moisture, put snow down, drop temperatures, and keep the snow on the ground which was ultimately what finally provided the turning point in getting the Yellow Lake Fire under control.
