GILLETTE, Wyo. — An Aug. 20 grass fire that impacted more than 1,000 acres south of Highway 450 took several hours to even contain, a Campbell County Fire Department official reported this morning.
The Campbell County Fire Department said in an Aug. 21 report on the fire that the department responded at 2:15 p.m. The fire was contained at 1,370 acres. Various agencies as well as 17 firefighters and two chiefs from Campbell County Fire Department responded to the call.
Battalion Chief Bryan Borgialli said the department and supporting agencies managed to contain the fire at about 6 p.m. and they stayed on it until dark. Personnel are checking on the fire Aug. 21. The fire impacted private, State of Wyoming and Thunder Basin National Grassland acres. Since the acreage has various uses, the department won’t determine a value of the damage. No one was injured.
Dried, cured vegetation and winds of roughly 15–20 mph made it harder to put out the fire, Borgialli said. Wyoming State Forestry provided two single-engine airtankers, which drop loads of fire retardant, as well as a helicopter. The division also mapped the fire.
U.S. Forest Service units, who were in the area checking fires from last week, reported that the fire started from a mine blast, as the units witnessed the fire start at the same time that the mine was conducting blasting operations, according to Borgialli. The fire was on the west side of the railroad tracks.
Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said Aug. 21 that the sheriff’s office responded at about 2:11 p.m. Aug. 20 to assist the fire department with the fire, which was south of Highway 450 between Hilight Road and Highway 59. A deputy stopped westbound traffic and directed traffic at the intersection of Highway 450 and Hilight Road.
Borgialli, who responded with Fire Chief Jeff Bender, said the sheriff’s office and Wyoming Highway Patrol temporarily shut down Highway 450 as the fire burned into the highway.
Borgialli asked that Campbell County residents remember that red flag warnings are in effect Aug. 21 and possibly Aug. 22, and burn restrictions are in place.
“Even though we’re getting rain intermittently this time of year, most of the light flashy fuels have already cured and dried,” he said. “Those rains give us short reprieves, but they don’t bring the fuels back to where they won’t burn. So, be cautious.”
While humidity was high the morning of Aug. 21, it will be in the low teens for the afternoon, presenting fire conditions, he said.
“We’re in that season where you see those drastic swings,” he said.
Campbell County Road and Bridge and firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming State Forestry assisted in the response, the department said.
County 17 has reached out to Campbell County Road and Bridge, Wyoming State Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service for more information.
Wright Emergency Manager Robby Gallob took more than 100 photos of the fire. He posted them on Facebook here.
