Dry, windy conditions hamper fight against Yellowstone blaze

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming (CNN) -- Firefighters faced the same hot, dry and windy conditions Friday that have fueled a wildfire for five days, Yellowstone National Park officials said.

The fire, just 10 percent contained, has charred some 2,300 acres of the park since it was ignited Sunday by a lightning strike, officials said. It has extended eastward, partly into Shoshone National Forest, adjacent to the park.

The arid weather, combined with the old, dry growth in the area of the fire, led to an awesome sight Thursday more than 60 miles away.

"There was a huge plume of smoke that was seen as far as Cody and Powell," said fire information officer Kim Smith. "We all got our cameras out and took pictures. ... Someone said it could have been as high as 6,000 feet."

The blaze -- dubbed the Arthur Fire -- is in an area of the park that has not burned in 100 years or longer, Smith said.

More than 830 firefighters are working to contain the fire. Yellowstone Park spokesman Justin Dombrowski said hot, dry conditions are predicted for the weekend, and officials expect the fire to grow even larger.

The fire is burning about a half a mile away from the east entrance to the park, said Dombrowski, and that entrance remains closed. The rest of the park is open to tourists.

Sprinklers have been set up to keep rooftops wet at the nearby Pahaska Tepee Resort area as a precautionary measure, Dombrowski said, and extra engines are on standby in case the fire gets too close. The area has not been evacuated, he added.

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

About a dozen park employees and their families who live in the area were evacuated soon after the fire started Sunday. No park visitors have been evacuated.