The Associated Press

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A grizzly bear fleeing a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park pounced on a firefighter, but a spokeswoman said the man wasn't seriously hurt.

Firefighter Tony Allabastro was treated and released from a Yellowstone clinic hours after the Sunday incident, said Sandra Hare, spokeswoman for the team managing the LeHardy Fire.

The fire had burned about 4,700 acres, roughly 7 square miles, in the Fishing Bridge area near the northern bank of Yellowstone Lake in the central section of the park.

Allabastro is a member of the Lewis and Clark Hotshots from Great Falls, Mont., Hare said. His age wasn't available.

"It kind of roughed him up a little bit, so he has some scratching and stuff to his back," Hare said. "He got pounced on."

Hare said officials believe the bear wasn't being particularly aggressive.

"We really feel like it was the bear trying to get out of the area," she said.

Firefighters on the Yellowstone fire are carrying pepper spray for bears, Hare said, but she said Allabastro didn't have time to grab his. "It is one of the hazards of fighting backcountry fires," she said.

Roads and recreation areas in Yellowstone remained open, Hare said. She said crews were continuing to conduct burnout operations to stop the fire.

“The fire is continuing to move away from properties and away from recreation areas, so there's no threat to visitors at this point, and no threat to the Fishing Bridge resort area,” Hare said.

Elsewhere in Wyoming the Gunbarrel Fire, about 40 miles west of Cody, had burned nearly 22,000 acres, or 34 square miles, by Monday afternoon. Firefighters had been successful in keeping the fire to the north side of the North Fork Highway that runs between Cody and Yellowstone's east entrance.

According to a prepared statement, crews were concentrating on protecting structures in the area and also on keeping the North Fork Highway open to traffic. Wapiti, Clearwater, Rex Hale, and Newton campgrounds as well as Fish Hawk Trailhead were closed Monday because of the fire.

In western Wyoming, the New Fork Lakes fire had burned about 11,500 acres, or about 18 square miles, about 19 miles north of Pinedale by Monday afternoon. Mary Cernicek, spokeswoman for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, said a specialized management team was scheduled to take over management of the fire on Tuesday.

Residents of Pinedale have reported heavy smoke from the fire, which Cernicek said was caused by an unattended campfire. The fire has prompted the Forest Service to close trailheads at New Fork Lakes, Willow Creek, Long Lake and Spring Creek.