A human-caused fire has destroyed one of the camps at the Rainbow Family of Living Light's annual gathering in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, but it was extinguished before anyone was injured.
U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Rose Davis said an air tanker dumped retardant on the seven- to eight-acre fire to put it out about 21/2 hours after it started Sunday.The fire destroyed the "Tea Time" camp at the meeting site, one of the many camps established in the Snider Basin near Big Piney, the site of this year's Rainbow Family gathering.
Officials are unsure where the fire started, due to the large number of camps and kitchens at the meeting site.
After it began shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, the fire worked its way from the camp into a concentrated group of trees, which allowed the air tanker to stop the flames, Davis said.
"It was up in the trees," she told the Jackson Hole Guide newspaper. "It was pretty scary for a little bit. Then we used a slurry bomber airplane and that put the kibosh on it."
More than 13,600 people have arrived at the meeting site for the annual gathering of the Rainbows, a counterculture group that meets once a year to pray for world peace.
The fire danger in most Wyoming forests is extremely high, due to high temperatures and a lack of precipitation.