Wildfires raging across northern Wyoming have burned more than 250,000 acres. No deaths or injuries have been reported as of Friday morning, but firefighting resources are stretched to the limit.
The five largest fires include the House Draw Fire at 174,387 acres, the Flat Rock Fire at 30,610, the Constitution Fire at 15,000, the Fish Creek Fire at 9,461 acres and the Remington Fire at 18,000.
Here’s a county-by-county rundown of Wyoming’s notable wildfires:
Johnson County
Measuring about 40 miles in length from north to south and crossing Interstate 90 in Johnson County, the House Draw Fire was has burned more than 174,000 acres as of Friday morning, authorities told the media at a press briefing.
About 190 people are fighting the fire, Marilyn Connolly, incident public information officer, told Cowboy State Daily.
Evacuations were lifted Friday afternoon. County roads Tipperary, Irigary, Nine Mile and the Sussex Cutoff were open to local traffic only at that time.
The interstate is open for travel, with delays expected, the Wyoming Department of Transportation announced Thursday afternoon.
Numerous construction companies are on scene with bulldozers and blades, gouging away vegetation to create fireproof lines.
The weather outlook for this region is not optimistic, with cooler temperatures not expected until Saturday, said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.
Teton And Fremont
The Fish Creek Fire near the Teton-Fremont county line off of Togwotee Pass is up to 9,461 acres, with voluntary evacuations still in place in the Brooks Lake Road, Pinnacle Drive, Pinnacle Lane and Breccia Drive areas.
Togwotee Pass was closed Thursday evening, reopened briefly Friday morning and is slated to be closed from 1 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, said incident public information officer Ranae Pape.
“We’re doing some firing operations to keep the fire from getting to the highway,” said Pape, adding that smoke visibility hazards are also likely Friday afternoon. The project is to burn away vegetation along the highway.
“You could kind of say they’re going to try and basically fight fire with fire and keep that fire from getting too close to the highway,” she said.
Multiple agencies have converged on the fire, along with helicopters, said Pape.
She said local residents have been very supportive, and the crews are grateful for all the food and other support. The crews are expecting a complex team to take over the fire coordination Saturday, the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT).
Day said cooler temperatures are likely to come sooner for this region than in northeastern Wyoming.
The Constitution Fire in Campbell County, like others in northern Wyoming, continues to grow and tax firefighting resources. (Campbell County Fire Department) 
The Remington Fire in Sheridan County, like others in northern Wyoming, continues to grow and tax firefighting resources. (Jim Sullivan via Western Wildfire Insight Facebook) 
The Constitution Fire in Campbell County, like others in northern Wyoming, continues to grow and tax firefighting resources. (Courtesy Acacia Acord) 
A wall of smoke rises from the edge of the House Draw Fire in this image shared by Triple Three Outfitters. (Triple Three Outfitters via Facebook) 
Scene from the House Creek Fire burning in Johnson County, Wyoming. (Courtesy Loren Carlat) 
A map showing active wildfires across wyoming and the region. (Wyoming State Forestry Division) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape) 
Smoke churns from the Fish Creek Fire, which is devouring dead trees off of Togwotee Pass in northwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ranae Pape)
Sheridan County
In Sheridan County the Remington Fire is estimated at 18,000 acres, according to watchduty.org.
Personnel on the ground did not immediately return Cowboy State Daily calls for comment Friday morning.
As of Thursday evening, the fire had jumped some of the fire break lines carved around it amid high and shifting winds, Jeff Baron, Tongue River Fire Chief, told Cowboy State Daily at the time. He estimated the fire at about 15,000 acres at that point.
Pre-evacuation orders have been in place for residential areas in the region; however, it is not a densely populated as the two fires raging in Campbell County.
Campbell County
Campbell County’s Flat Rock Fire and Constitution Fire have both grown since their Thursday evening estimate of 30,000 acres and 15,000 acres respectively, Stuart Burnham, Campbell County Fire Marshall, told Cowboy State Daily on Friday morning.
He didn’t yet have an accurate count, but said the county would likely make a new estimate Friday afternoon.
The Flat Rock Fire is about 30% contained, though that percentage could drop if the fire keeps growing, Burnham said.
More engines and personnel have been arriving from other areas. Much-welcome air support was on scene Thursday afternoon, according to a statement by the Campbell County Fire Department.
As of 10 a.m. Friday, Burnham hadn’t yet seen aerial resources for the day.
The fire department is warning of heavy smoke in the area and asking people to avoid the areas along the fires if possible. Highway 59 along the Constitution Fire has visibility issues amid the smoke. The department encourages people to slow down.
The Flat Rock Fire off Echeta Road involves a more home-dense area. Some structures have been damaged and others are threatened. Campbell County Road and Bridge and private heavy equipment rigs are helping build fire break lines around each fire, says the statement.
Burnham reiterated his request that any private entities bringing bulldozers, blades or other heavy equipment coordinate with the fire department.
Little Fires
Smaller fires are also blazing throughout Wyoming, including in Washakie, Natrona and Platte counties, according to Watchduty.org.
Kami Neighbors, Washakie County Emergency Management coordinator, did not seem to be worried about the 50-acre East Fork Fire to the southeast of Worland. Bureau of Land Management has deployed firefighters to combat that one.
“This is nothing compared to what everyone else has,” she said.
Contact Clair McFarland at clair@cowboystatedaily.com
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
