Fire Watch 8-22 11 am from Cowboy State Daily on Vimeo.
Update: The Wyoming Department of Transportation announced the reopening of Interstate 90 late Thursday.
Numerous northern and central Wyoming counties are evacuating neighborhoods or warning of evacuations after lightning activity, dry conditions and high winds have sparked and blew up a number of wildfires that are burning out of control. Interstates 90 and 25 also were closed for periods Wednesday.
Campbell County
The Campbell County Fire Department responded to multiple fires Wednesday afternoon from around the county, all presumed to be lightning-caused fires, according to a statement by the agency.
Multiple firefighting units converged on two of the larger fires, the Constitution fire near Collins Road, which had reached about 15,000 acres as of 6 p.m. Thursday according to an official estimate; and the Flat Rock Fire, 13 miles west on Echeta Road, which spanned more than 30,000 acres as of Thursday evening.
“Some structures have been damaged from the fire and others are threatened,” says the fire department’s statement.
The department said it has been using County Road and Bridge resources to place a containment line. Residents are experiencing heavy smoke.
The department told residents to be prepared to evacuate:
• The Oriva Hills area in response to the Flat Iron fire.
• All areas north of Interstate 90 and west of Gillette to Arvada.
• Rural subdivisions south of Interstate 90 and west of Gillette.
• Everything north of Rawhide Mine to Horse Creek.
“Fires may move towards you without much notice,” read an emergency alert dispatched at 9:40 p.m. The winds kept changing direction, the notice added.
Campbell County School District No. 1 enacted a two-hour delay to the start of school Thursday. Campbell County’s government offices also noted a two-hour opening delay.
Weston County
Weston County Emergency Management warned residents of multiple fires about 6:30 Wednesday evening.
“You will see smoke in almost every direction,” reads the department’s statement. “Resources are thin and dispatch is taking numerous calls. Please stay out of firefighters (sic) way as they are working very hard.”
More reports rolled in by 9 p.m. from the Sundown Trail, Oil Creek and Ertman Road areas. The department thanked the ranchers and contractors helping to fight the blazes.
Aladdin resident Jason Williams brought a homemade fire-fighting rig to the scene to help, and was up all night.
The hot, dry, lightning-ravaged weather has "been a nightmare," he said, adding that Weston County Fire Warden Dan Tysdal and the volunteer firefighters have been "kicking ass along with guys with little units like me. Quick action by everyone has stopped some potentially horrible situations."
Federal authorities were quick to call in air support, he said. Williams was going to bed around 8:45 Thursday morning.
"Today I imagine more (fires) will pop up when it warms up," he said.
Johnson County
The House Draw Fire in Johnson County shut down a portion of Interstate 90 and evacuated 10-15 houses Wednesday afternoon.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office asked Campbell County Emergency Management to evacuate residents from Interstate 90 north to the Sheridan County line and living within 10 miles of the Johnson/Campbell County line to evacuate, says a 9 p.m. statement by Campbell County Emergency Management. Those displaced were offered refuge at the Bomber Mountain Civic Center in Buffalo.
“This fire is still not contained,” wrote Johnson County Emergency Management in a 9:28 p.m. statement to its Facebook page. “Please remain out of the area so first responders can continue their work and efforts.”
Firefighters didn’t need volunteers for that area but would alert the public if that changes, the statement says.
Fremont County
Fremont County authorities Wednesday evening dispatched a pre-evacuation notice in the region west of Dubois as the Clearwater and Fish Creek fires continue to grow. Burning in remote and rugged terrain, the Fish Creek Fire has burned nearly 8,000 acres.
“There is significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area, or if choosing to remain, be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice,” the statement says.
The areas on notice were along U.S. Highway 26, or Togwotee Pass, in the areas of mileposts 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. Those neighborhoods include:
• Brooks Lake Road including Brooks Lake Lodge
• West Pinnacle Dr; all homes and/or dwellings
• East Pinnacle Dr; all homes and/or dwellings
• Pinnacle Lane: all homes and/or dwellings
• Breccia Drive; all homes and/or dwellings
Deputy Fremont County Fire Warden Ron Wempen said the fire was still burning in the evening in a “heavy, dense spruce forest” with dead trees and signs of recent beetle kill. It ignited about Thursday night, likely from a lightning storm that passed through the region.
But the week’s hot and windy weather “started to push that fire much faster,” said Wempen.
Around 150 people were fighting the fire late Wednesday evening, he told Cowboy State Daily at the time.
“Quite a few” people at the lodge were either evacuated or put on notice, he added.
Converse County
A fire between Glenrock and Douglas prompted residential evacuations around Natural Bridge Road and Barber Road.
“Please evacuate the area immediately due to large grass fire,” reads a 5:32 Wednesday-evening statement by Converse County Emergency Management. The fire closed down Interstate 25 going both directions between Douglas and Casper. Authorities diverted traffic via Wyoming Highway 93 and 95 through Glenrock.
The evacuation notice around Natural Bridge was lifted as of 6:22 p.m. The interstate was reopened around that time as well.
As of midnight the fire was contained. It left pockets of unburned vegetation inside the fire lines, which erratic winds sent the fires around.
Multiple fire units remained on scene through the night, says the statement.
“Currently the breeze is bringing a lot of smoke and stink along the river into Glenrock,” says the statement.
With the help of a rain storm Wednesday evening, the largest fire in Converse County, the Barber Ranch Fire, was largely extinguished as of Thursday.
This story has been updated to reflect the fires' Thursday growth and the progress in Converse County.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
