Due to some unforeseen health problems we had to go to the Yellowstone Family Clinic in West Yellowstone. A Bombardier was scheduled to take some guests back to West Yellowstone so we were able to book passage on it. We got on the snow coach and were pleasantly surprised to find the interior of the Bombardier had been refurbished and looked half way presentable. We found out later that the changes really cut down on the noise. After we were finished at the clinic, we picked up the passengers for the return trip to Old Faithful.

We went to Madison for the mandatory break. We had not had anything to eat all day so Deb got a couple of hot ham and cheese sandwiches. The only other time Deb got hot ham and cheese sandwiches she caused our departure from Madison to be delayed and the lead snow coach broke down in front of us on the Firehole Canyon Drive. We had to wait several hours for them to move the coach before we continued on to Old Faithful. We joked about what was going to happen to us this trip.

Between the Firehole River Cascades and the Old Freight Road we noticed some heavy black smoke ahead of us. We saw a number of people milling around on the road. When we got closer we could see that one of the Mattracks coachs from a West Yellowstone hotel was on fire. The fire seemed to be confined to the front tracks. Deb got out and went up to the people that were milling around. They were the passengers that were on the snow coach. Everyone had gotten off safely and the passengers did not lose much. Unfortunately, the driver lost a Nikon D70, his wallet and other personal effects. A few rangers had arrived and were busy stopping traffic and keeping people back from the fire.

The driver said he had been hearing a lot of noise from the transfer case so he took the snow coach out of 4WD and put it in 2H. There was a loud bang so he stopped to check it out. Flames were already creeping along the bottom of the snow coach so he got the passengers out. He looked for the fire extinguisher but could not find it. By then the snow coach was pretty much engulfed in flames so he could not get to his backpack. One of the fuel tanks exploded before we got there, but the second tank, which was full, had not. By this time the snow coach was pretty much engulfed in flames and then the second tank exploded.

We waited for a while and eventually an ambulance arrived. They again checked to see whether there were any injuries. As there were no injuries they watched the snow coach burn until the fire engine arrived. The ambulance had to move to allow the fire truck access to the burning snow coach. Quite a backup of snow coaches and snowmobiles had developed in each direction.

The firemen made short work of the fire and soon all that was left was a lot of charred metal.

A replacement snow coach arrived to take the passengers back to the hotel.

A Prinoth also arrived to help remove the debris.

We waited for quite a while before they started to let traffic past the burned-out hulk. They let the northbound snowmobiles through first, then the northbound snow coaches and finally they let the southbound traffic through. We were there for about an hour and a half. I guess there really is a “hot ham and cheese curse”. Deb may no longer buy hot ham and cheese sandwiches at Madison.

A Yellowstone National Park fire truck equipped for over-snow travel.

A Yellowstone National Park ambulance equipped for over-snow travel.

This was the type of accident that we hate to see in Yellowstone. The guests on the snow coach were on a day trip to Old Faithful. In addition to seeing Old Faithful, they had seen Beehive erupt. On the way back they saw Great Fountain erupt from a distance. No one expects something like this to happen, but it was comforting to see the professional demeanor of the driver. He did everything he could to ensure the safety of his passengers first. The response of the emergency crews was outstanding. The fire crew put the fire out in a short time and the road was cleared shortly thereafter.

   Return to Wednesday, January 25, 2006 — An Emergency Trip to West Yellowstone