CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon laid out some of the toll that wildfires have taken on the state so far this year in a USDA disaster declaration request.
According to a news release issued on Thursday evening, the request sent to United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that at least 629,000 acres of land have been burned so far this year by wildfires, and that a “disproportionate amount of the area burned so far has occurred on private lands, with much of that land used for some type of agricultural production.”
The House Draw Fire in Johnson County alone has burned more than 170,000 acres and caused at least $25 million in losses. The release said that losses from other wildfires are still being assessed.
“This fire has destroyed at least 590 miles of fence, numerous stock tanks, livestock forage, and, sadly, livestock,” the Governor wrote in the release. “Similar statistics will emerge during the loss determination process for the other large wildfires in Eastern and Northern Wyoming.”
The release said that Gordon requested the maximum program flexibility due to Wyoming’s agriculture, pointing out that unusually high temperatures, high winds and persistent drought have strained resources and made for a particularly difficult fire year.
“The task of building back will be exceptionally challenging, and time is of the essence as the infrastructure necessary to manage livestock as well as provide water for wildlife has been decimated,” he said in the release.
The release says that the University of Wyoming Extension, in partnership with state agencies, has compiled a website of both fire information and recovery resources that can be utilized by those impacted by wildfires.
At one point there were at least five major fires burning in northern Wyoming between Gillette and Buffalo and on the northern Wyoming border with Montana. As of Friday morning, the Remington Fire at the border is still active, with the House Draw fire near Buffalo nearly entirely contained.
Three wildfires are burning in the western area of the state, the most significant being the Fish Creek Fire west of Dubois. Togwotee Pass was closed earlier this week due to fire activity. According to InciWeb, the road is expected to reopen at 7 a.m. Friday.
