Guests from two lodges west of Cody were evacuated Friday afternoon ahead of a wildfire that was slowly moving down a canyon to within about half a mile of the buildings, fire officials said.

Authorities were not immediately able to provide the number of guests evacuated from the Absaroka and Elephant Head lodges. Guests were being taken to a school in Wapiti, west of Cody.

The Gunbarrel Fire is burning about 40 miles west of Cody and has burned about 9,560 acres - about 15 square miles.

Fire spokeswoman Sarah Gallup said the fire had burned to within about half a mile of the lodges.

"That's one of the directions in which it is spreading slowly," Gallup said.

There are about half a dozen lodges in the area, she said.

However, thanks to work over the last two years to reduce fire fuels in the area and sprinkler systems set up at the lodges, firefighters were confident they had the situation under control, Gallup said.

Fire spokesman Roger Sedam said the lodges were evacuated because it would be safer for guests and easier for firefighters to do their work.

The major highway in the area, U.S. 14-16-20, remained open. The highway runs between Cody and Yellowstone National Park.

Meantime, wildfires in western Wyoming continued to spread, and the Sublette County health office posted an air quality alert for the Pinedale area due to smoke.

The New Fork Lakes Fire, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest about 19 miles north of Pinedale, had burned more than five square miles Friday, according to forest spokeswoman Mary Cernicek. It was caused by an unattended campfire.

Dr. Thomas Johnston, Sublette County public health officer, advised people in the Pinedale area who have breathing problems to stay inside.

Cernicek said the fire wasn't threatening any structures, but crews had cleared trees and set up sprinklers around the Willow Creek Guard Station as a precaution. The building was about two miles from the fire, she said.

Cernicek said another fire had been reported Thursday night, burning about an acre near Boulder Lake in the Pinedale area. It was caused by an escaped campfire.

Inside Yellowstone National Park, a 500-acre fire was burning along the Yellowstone River. Park spokeswoman Linda Miller said the LeHardy Fire was burning on either side of the river after being started Wednesday by a downed power line.

A section of the Grand Loop Road north of Fishing Bridge Junction was reopened Friday after being closed since Wednesday afternoon because of the fire.