Fire burns 900 acres in Yellowstone

Rugged terrain hampers firefighters

Firefighters and officials gather to assess the situation in Yellowstone on Tuesday.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming (CNN) -- A scant amount of rain overnight did little to help quell a raging fire that has consumed at least 900 acres of national park land, Yellowstone Park officials said Tuesday.

"We had a little bit of rain last night, here and on the west end of the fire," incidence commander Steve Frye said Tuesday. "But on the east end of the fire we had almost no rain."

Yellowstone received about 0.08 inches of rain Monday night.

The clear skies could help the firefighters assess the fire and establish where they want to establish their line to fight the blaze.

"What that will allow us to do is get a better look at the fire, a better size, and provide an opportunity for us to develop the kind of strategy and tactics that will serve us best," Frye said.

The fire is burning about two miles inside the park. The steep, remote and rugged terrain is preventing firefighters from battling the blaze on the ground. Efforts have been limited to aerial drops of flame-retardant material.

"The winds are keeping it moving, but it is burning in old-growth forest that hasn't burned in 100 to 200 years," said Marcia Karle, spokeswoman for Yellowstone. "That means it has a lot of forest cover and duff that will help fuel the fire."

Small fires, or "spotting" fires, have emerged alongside East Gate Road inside the park.

The park is still open to tourists, but the east entrance and East Gate Road, about 50 miles west of Cody, Wyoming, are closed.

The nearest open entrance is on the northeast, near Cooke City, Montana -- a detour of nearly 100 miles.

Yellowstone officials said they have asked for a team of nearly 1,000 people, including firefighters and other resources to assess and battle the fire.

The area where the fire is burning is heavily populated with grizzly bears and many of the requested firefighters are specially trained to contain fires in bear habitats.

About a dozen park employees have been evacuated since the fire started Sunday and their families who live in the area. No park visitors have been evacuated, and the other entrances to the park remain open.

-- CNN Producer George Mathews and Correspondent Eric Philips contributed to this report.