While a regional team fighting four large wildfires in northeast Wyoming is urging people to call 911 if they see smoke or fire near those blazes, some local law enforcement agencies report people keep calling 911 to deliver confusing accounts of the wildfires already being fought.
“High winds passing through the Remington Fire burn scar is kicking up dust,” wrote the Clearmont Fire District in a Wednesday post to Facebook. “Please DO NOT call 911 to report a fire. Fire crews are still on the fire actively engaged in in mop up operations and will advise authorities if additional resources are needed.”
The Clearmont Fire District could not be reached by phone Wednesday.
But from the outskirts of the House Draw Fire, a 174,000-acre blaze about 45 miles south of the Remington Fire, the Buffalo Police Department issued a similar statement Wednesday.
“We’ve been receiving multiple 911 calls about smoke within the House Draw Fire burn area,” says the statement. “After investigation, these reports have been confirmed as blowing soot rather than active fire.”
The statement urges callers reporting distant smoke to provide a specific location. Accurate information is crucial for an effective response, the statement says.
If anyone sees smoke outside the House Draw Fire’s perimeters, however, he or she should report it immediately with an active location, the statement says.
Just Know What You’re Seeing
Buffalo Police Chief Sean Bissett told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that the department doesn’t want to tell anyone not to call 911, it just wants people to know what they’re seeing and where they’re seeing it before they do call.
Many recent smoke calls have been about dust and ash picking up on the wind, or smoke far in the distance, he said.
“We’re trying to prevent folks seeing a smoke plume from 10 miles away from calling and saying they see a fire,” said Bissett. “Saying, ‘Hey, I’m on Dry Creek Road I see fire a mile past the burn’ — that’s a different story.”
Many of the callers may be non-local drivers on Interstate 90 who don’t know about the House Draw Fire and are just trying to be helpful by reporting a fire, he said.
Even with them doing that, if people can be specific about what they’re seeing, it can help authorities to know what kind of a response to venture from their stretched resources.
Maybe These Guys Can Help
Manny Cordova of the public information office for Southwest Incident Management Team 5, said the team still hopes people call 911 for any potential startup fires so that none get missed and flare out of control.
He said the team’s presence in the region can help compensate for the added strain of investigating potentially misguided fire calls.
“We are… assisting and coordinating with local authorities when those calls do come in,” said Cordova.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
