Wildfire burns near art museum in Jackson Hole

JACKSON, Wyo. – A timely rain helped knock down a wildfire that threatened an art museum and some rural homes in northwest Wyoming’s Jackson Hole region.

The fire Sunday burned about 80 acres (32.3 hectares) of grass and sagebrush along U.S. 89 north of Jackson.

The fire was ignited by a lightning storm Sunday afternoon near the National Museum of Wildlife Art, forcing the museum to evacuate and close.

Firefighters aided by helicopters attacked the fire, but winds fanned the fire, prompting additional evacuations of some rural residences nearby.

But rain fell on the fire Sunday evening and soon after all evacuations were lifted.

Fire information officer Lori Iverson tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that Mother Nature helped out “big time.”

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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com