GILLETTE, Wyo. — Several fires in all corners of the state have been growing or stalling as weather conditions like rain and strong winds impact their potential for growth. Here’s the latest on notable fires in Wyoming, organized by county.
Albany County
According to a post by the Albany County Emergency Management Team, there are pre-evacuation orders issued for all of County Road 12 to Morton Pass, an expansion of previous mapping for the alert for the Bear Creek Fire north of Laramie.
Previously, only the area within a 5-mile radius of mile marker 15 on WYO 34 had been a part of the pre-evacuation notice. These notices mean that while those in the area are not required to leave immediately, they should be preparing to leave the area in the event a mandatory evacuation order is issued, the county said. preparations should be made to be able to evacuate with “household members, essential belongings, pets and livestock,” per the post.
Campbell County
The Short Draw Fire in the northern edge of the county spurred evacuation orders for the Border Line Estates and Ranchettes on Wednesday afternoon. The fire has quickly grown in the last few days. The Campbell County Fire Department reported Thursday that the fire had burned over 20,000 acres and was 0% contained. A majority of the fire is burning across the border in Montana, and authorities there have issued pre-evacuation orders for areas of Powder River County.
Natrona County
Natrona County Emergency Management announced on Wednesday evening that the Salt Creek Fire near Bar Nunn had been completely contained, nullifying previous pre-evacuation readiness orders for residents of Homa Hills and Bar Nunn. The fire, located west of Interstate 25, had reached an estimated 1,520 acres. Further west of the Casper area, the 45-acre Poison Spider Fire was also being continuously monitored by officials but also holding at its current size and not actively spreading. Their post also advised there would likely be heavy ash blown in the area due to the fires, reminding residents to only contact 911 for active fires.
Teton County and Fremont County
The U.S. Forest Service from Bridger-Teton National Forest issued an update Thursday for the large Fish Creek Fire, which is mostly based in Teton County but has spread into Fremont County. According to the agency, the fire is at an estimated 24,904 acres and is 69% contained. Rain and subsequent higher humidity in the area have kept fire activity low on Wednesday, and conditions are expected to keep activity low through Friday with more rain expected.
Rain has helped to improve air quality, but smoke will keep visibility low for those traveling through the Highway 26 and Highway 287 corridor.
Hot Springs County and Washakie County
In a post made to Facebook on Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management – Wyoming reported that the West Warm Springs Fire located southeast of Thermopolis is now 30% contained. The fire was last estimated to be roughly 1,600 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
In Washakie County, the Hazelton Fire is now at 50% containment, per the BLM’s post. Located just west of the county line from Johnson County, the fire is at an estimated 65 acres. Lightning in the area of the Bighorn Basin has sparked new fire starts that were being managed by county fire agencies in the area.
