Emergency firefighters in Campbell County and surrounding communities have made “good progress” on containing wildfires across rolling hills and prairies on more than 23,000 acres in northeastern Wyoming.
Open-pit coal mining activities in the energy-rich Powder River Basin have not been impacted, fire authorities said.
“We were able to make good progress on the fires over the last couple of days, and I think we’ve started to turn the corner,” said Stuart Burnham, fire marshal for the Campbell County Fire Department, of two fires burning in the region.
The wildfires are the largest active in the state as of Tuesday that were competing for resources and personnel located north of Guernsey, Wyoming. That fire, the Pleasant Valley fire, was reportedly 90% contained after burning through grass and tinder on nearly 29,000 acres, according to a statement issued by fire authorities Tuesday.
Temperatures have dropped considerably in recent days, helping to tamp down the fires in Campbell County Wyoming that both erupted during a triple-digit heatwave.
As of Tuesday, the temperatures in Campbell County have dropped into the 70s by mid-morning following rain and thunderstorms that moved into the area overnight, according to weather.com.
Wildcat And Deer Creek
Burnham said that an update will be issued late Tuesday on the total acres consumed by the two wildfires and their containment levels.
The Wildcat Creek Fire began Aug. 2 and is burning southeast of Wright off Rochelle Hills Road in rolling hills, ravines and ridges.
Wright is a tiny energy community about 40 miles south of Gillette, the central city in Campbell County’s coal-mining Powder River Basin territory.
The cause of the Wildcat Creek Fire is still under investigation, Burnham said, adding it rapidly grew due to strong winds and dry vegetation.
On Sunday evening, the fire was estimated to be about 17,258 acres. The fire has burned into Weston County to the east of its origin, Burnham said.
There are no reports of injuries or structures lost.
Burnham said that the percentage of containment of this fire is expected to change when his department issues an update later Tuesday.
The Deer Creek Fire is located about 25 miles west of Gillette and has multiple agencies involved in fighting the 7,000-acre fire, which was not contained as of Monday.
The cause of this fire is under investigation, Burnham said.
The grass fire erupted Aug. 3 west of West Echeta Road and quickly spread due to the dry weather, winds and hot temperatures.
The Bureau of Land Management has assumed command of this incident, with fire departments in Campbell, Johnson and Sheridan counties, as well as the Wyoming State Forestry Division and U.S. Forest Service, helping fight the wildfire.
Burnham said that the region is experiencing a lack of moisture and hot weather, which has fueled the quick spread of the wildfires.
Multiple heavy air tankers, helicopters and bulldozers have been used to try and contain the fire. It is anticipated fire crews will be on scene for multiple days, Burnham said.
Neither the Wildcat Creek Fire nor the Deer Creek Fire threatens any open pit coal mining activities in the region, he said.
Pleasant News
In the southeast corner of Wyoming, firefighters battling the Pleasant Valley fire near Guernsey have cordoned this wildfire in the steep terrain of the Haystack Range that is blamed for burning the homestead of U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, the state’s lone congresswoman, and briefly threatened historic Fort Laramie and the tiny community of Hartville and surrounding hamlets.
Meanwhile, folks in the tiny historic mining town of Hartville are starting to recover after being evacuated twice and nearly losing their town.
As of Tuesday, the Pleasant Valley Fire had burned 28,984 acres, said Tyson Finnicum, a spokesman for the Wyoming Type 3 Team working the incident. It’s about 90% contained.
Finnicum’s Type 3 team is an emergency classification level used by fire tracking agency National Interagency Fire Center and is made up of a small group of local, state and federal officials needed to help in the management of combating a wildfire.
The weather is working in favor of firefighters in the Pleasant Valley Fire.
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are forecast through Wednesday, which could bring gusty and erratic winds. Hot and dry conditions also persist through Tuesday and Wednesday, with high temperatures in the low to mid-90s, Finnicum said.
A cold front is expected to bring cooler temperatures in the high 60s on Thursday and Friday.
Western Fires
No updates were made Tuesday to change the 1,786 acres burned in the Clearwater Fire near the East Gate to Yellowstone National Park.
The fire is at 7% containment, according to fire authorities.
The fire started July 19 with a lightning strike and grew quickly, burning old timber on steep slopes in the Shoshone National Forest. One of the main priorities for those on this fire is keeping the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park open.
About 18 miles southwest of Dubois, the Leeds Creek fire continues to burn and remains at an estimated 1,230 acres with 13% containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Contact Pat Maio at pat@cowboystatedaily.com
Pat Maio can be reached at pat@cowboystatedaily.com.
